oui
by iSpeakSarcasms
Summary: Pronunciation: We. Definition: You & I. (Explanation, Summary, and Disclaimer inside)
1. If We

_**A/N: Before I give you guys the actual summary of this story, let me explain to you the origin and details of the summary that's displayed with the title. Yes, I'm aware that Oui does not mean "you and I". However, Jeremih sings in this song that "there's no 'we' without you and I" and this is true in both the words "we" and "oui". The French word for "yes" is pronounced like the English pronoun "we". And in order to properly utilize this pronoun, one has to be referring to themself and at least one other person, because there truly is no "we" without another person to accompany yourself (you and I). And for "oui" there really is no "oui" without the letter u or the letter i. It's a very clever play on words.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: "Oui" was written by Jeremih and appears on "Late Nights: The Album", a Def Jam Recordings Production. Said album was released on December 10**_ _ **th**_ _ **, 2015 and said song was released on October 30**_ _ **th**_ _ **, 2015.**_

 _ **I do not own YuGiOh. This much should be obvious.**_

 _ **Summary: A/U. Yuugi is a professional gamer. Yami is the Duel Monster's King of Games. They know of each other through a mutual friend, but the only problem is that they hate each other – or rather, they hate each other's profession. But what would happen if they were to get to know each other outside of what they do for a living. Main shipping: PuzzleShipping. Side shippings: TenderShipping, BronzeShipping, PuppyShipping. Warning for language and OOCness from all characters. Hikari Marik will be referred to as "Malik" in this story. T for now. Will change to M if I feel the need to add any mature themes.**_

 _Chapter One:_ _If We…_

Joey and Ryou had to admit, Yuugi had a nice house.

Of course, when you get paid hundreds of thousands, and sometimes millions – it just depends – of dollars to travel and play video games, you would expect them to have nice things. Nice house, nice car, nice clothes; it was almost expected that if someone made bank they should be living a lavish lifestyle. And Yuugi fit perfectly into that régime. Well, for a gamer, anyways.

His home had three stories: the first one consisting of his living room, kitchen, dining room, and his guest bathroom; the second one consisting of his bedroom, a guest room, his bathroom, and an office area (of which he never used); and the third one consisting of nothing but his game room. This was where Yuugi spent most of his time. Exiting the elevator and setting foot on this floor was the equivalent of walking into an arcade; there were several consoles and controllers, several small flat-screen televisions, and there were a few laptops specifically for the purpose of downloading and playing video games. Although each floor screamed "nerdy gamer" with posters, console inspired chairs, shelves that resembled Super Mario World and Tetris, and even controller shaped pillows; hands down, this was the most interesting and gawk-worthy floor of the house.

But there was no time for gawking, nor did Joey and Ryou have any need to. They'd been in this room more times than they'd been in their own rooms – hell, probably more times than they'd been in their own homes. Right now, they needed to get Yuugi out of here and into the car where Malik was awaiting them.

Of course, as they had suspected, their friend was sitting on his futon in front of one of his many televisions with a headset on and a controller in his hand. Typically, this would not be a problem. As a professional gamer, it was almost required that Yuugi spend a good deal of time practicing and continuing to build his skills in the games he got paid to play. However, today was not the day for him to be pressing buttons and trash talking people that were probably miles away from him.

Joey was the one to address him first, making his way over to the futon and standing next to his friend. "Yug' don't tell me that you're sittin' here playin' ya game without a care in the world and ya ain't even dressed yet."

To which Yuugi responded with a scoff and moved his mouthpiece upward so that his opponent wouldn't hear what he's about to say. "Of course I'm dressed. You think I'm gonna just hop online and play without making sure that I'd be ready once you got here?"

"Yes."

"I'm dressed. And you're distracting me. Go wait downstairs until I finish this match." Yuugi said, or rather demanded with a quick and dismissive wave of his hand.

" _You're dressed?_ " Joey walked over to his friend's console and hit the power button, ignoring the displeased sounds and the insults that came from him. "How the hell are ya dressed? Ya don't have ya shirt all the way on and ya shoes are next to ya instead of on ya feet."

His friend was wearing a casual black button-down polo and a pair of cargo shorts with black socks. Yuugi's shirt was open, showing the tattoo's that adorned his torso and part of his neck, accompanying the ones that were sleeved onto both of his arms. The ink on his body was similar to the décor of his house, being inspired by each game he played and just a little bit of Duel Monsters as well. From wrist to wrist he was covered in the casts Super Smash Bros. Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter and Killer Instinct; while his torso sported a large tattoo of the Dark Magician, his favorite Duel Monster's Card.

From the doorway, Ryou's half-hearted attempt at concealing his laughter was noticed, the slightly choked sound carrying through the room as he covered his mouth and turned away from Yuugi's smoldering gaze.

"It's not funny!" He snapped before turning his frustration onto the man next to him, shoving – or trying to shove, Joey was a stout person and wasn't moved easily – him. "And you can't just come into _my_ game room and turn _my_ shit off while I'm in the middle of playing it. How would you like it if I just showed up to your place and unplugged your system while you were using it?"

Unmoved and unaffected by Yuugi's attack, Joey merely folded his arms over his chest. "If ya did, at least I woulda been dressed and ready ta go."

Yuugi huffed dramatically. "I _am_ ready to go. I can fix my shirt and put my shoes on in the car. You're acting like you came in and I was just sitting here in my underwear."

"We have come in and seen you in your underwear before." Ryou stated, his laughter having subsided and allowing him to face the two again. "You're never ready when you're supposed to go somewhere with us."

"Exactly. Now hurry up and finish getting' ready. Malik's in the car waitin' and we're s'posed to be at Mai's place by nine."

"And you think that standing here fussing at me is gonna get us there on time?" Yuugi reached down beside the futon and grabbed his Nike Huaraches. "I told you, I can fix myself in the car."

Ryou shook his head and made his way over to the two, mimicking Joey by folding his arms over his chest. "Perhaps if we start leaving him, then he'll get the message to be ready whenever we get here. As you can see, fussing has gotten us nowhere." He gestured to his half-dressed friend.

"You really think I'm gonna stress over you guys leaving me here?" Yuugi scoffed and began making his way out of the room, not bothering to make sure his friends were following him. "You guys ditch me, I promise you that all I'm gonna do is hop my ass back on my futon and play Smash. I will give no fucks."

"Let's just go. We'll figure out some kinda way to make sure his ass is ready whenever we get here," Joey whispered before following in the direction that Yuugi went.

Outside of Yuugi's house was Malik, leaning against the hood of his car with his arms crossed, one of the lights in his friend's driveway illuminating the area around him. He'd hoped that perhaps this time, just this _once_ , Yuugi would come outside fully clothed and ready to go. Just this one time – it would make things so much easier. He wouldn't have to hear Ryou and Joey nagging Yuugi the entire ride.

But of course, he knew he was asking for too much. Any hopes of a fun and peaceful car ride were promply removed from his mind once he saw Yuugi exit his home with his shirt open and his sneakers in hand. Malik shook his head. Hell would freeze over before Yuugi would actually be ready to go.

"I don't even know why I bother with the thought that you'll be dressed and ready whenever we come to get you. It never happens," He complained once the smaller man was within earshot.

Yuugi responded by roughly pushing his shoes into the other's chest. "Shut up and hold these." And then he proceeded to button his shirt.

Malik rolled his eyes, but did as his friend asked him too. "Do you do this when you go out on dates? Wait til the last minute to get dressed and then make them hold your stuff while you finish getting dressed outside?"

"Well," Yuugi began, taking his shoes back, "Considering that I'm in committed relationships with my WiiU, my Xbox, and my PlayStation, I'm gonna have to say no. They're all inside and I don't need to dress up for them."

"I'm serious. If there was someone out here picking you up for a date, would you be ready?"

"Of course."

" _Ready_ ready?"

"Yes, I would be ready. If I had a date, I would be fully dressed and ready to walk out the door by the time they got here."

Malik opened his mouth to respond, but before he could get his question out, Joey was already asking, "Then why the hell can't ya do that with us?"

Yuugi blinked. "Because I'm not with any of you." He opened the back door on the driver's side and got into the car, a quiet "duh" slipping out before the door closed.

Each of the remaining three gave their own version of a sigh, along with voicing their opinion about the antics of their friend, before joining him in the car; Ryou sitting in the back with Yuugi and Joey riding shotgun.

 _XxxX_

"Rapunzel!" Came the loud greeting/scolding from a white haired male whose appearance almost mirrored that of Ryou's. Save for the height and slight difference in skin tone, the two could pass as twins.

And a sigh came from the shorter look-a-like as he and his friends entered the building. He'd hoped that he and his entourage would at least be able to get through the door to Mai's new house before Bakura could begin his loud, slightly annoying, and somewhat childish antics. "That is not my name."

"Your name is whatever I call you." Bakura retorted, walking over to the group and crossing his arms. "Anyway, Mai said you'd be here at nine." The man then lifted his right arm and drew back his jacket sleeve, showing several Rolex watches that went from his wrist to a couple of inches away from his elbow. "It's ten after. What gives?"

"We were waiting on Christmas to come." Ryou jerked a thumb back at Yuugi. "He takes forever to get ready."

Yuugi scowled and swatted his friend's hand away before folding his arms over his chest. "I do not. And who the hell is he? Why are you telling my business to strangers?"

"First, it's no secret to anyone that you're always late and anyone who shows up to any kind of event with you is always late," Ryou responded matter-of-factly before jerking his head in Bakura's direction. "And he's not a stranger."

"That still doesn't answer the question of who he is."

Malik nodded in agreement with Yuugi's statement. "Yeah. And why'd he call you Rapunzel?"

Bakura lowered his jacket sleeve and then rose a brow. "You mean you haven't told them yet?"

Now Joey – who had been scanning the premises for Mai – was interested in this conversation. He turned towards Ryou's look-a-like and rose a brow. "Tell us what?"

Ignoring the frantic shaking of Ryou's head, Bakura allowed himself to smirk before answering, "We're dating."

This statement was followed by a loud and unanimous "what", drawing the attention of several other individuals in the house, including its owner.

"A sudden, loud outburst coming from the front door?" Mai questioned teasingly once she was within earshot of the group. She shifted her weight onto her right leg and rested a hand on her hip. "I should've know that it was you guys. When do you ever enter a room like normal people?"

"Actually Mai, we did enter quietly for once. Only reason we was loud is 'cause Ryou was hidin' things from us."

Before Mai could turn to him and ask what Joey was talking about, Ryuo was already defending himself. "I wasn't hiding anything."

"Then how come ya didn't tell us ya were dating…" Joey looked over at his friend's look-a-like, trying put a name with a face; but he soon realized it couldn't be done because no one had given him a name to put with his face. "This guy. Ya didn't even tell us his name."

"His name is Bakura. And I didn't tell you that I was dating him because we've only been one _one_ date."

"Was it recent?"

Ryou gave a gesture that blended a shrug and a nod. "I mean…I guess. It was a week ago."

"And ya didn't think ta tell us? We always tell ya when _we_ go on dates."

Yuugi nodded. "Always. Most of the time its right after we get back."

"That's you guys. I'm not as…flamboyant with my relationships as you are." Ryou shrugged – a genuine shrug this time. "Sorry."

"Fine. That explains who he is, but you still haven't told us why he called you Rapunzel."

"It's his nickname," Bakura answered, gesturing to Ryou's long white tresses. "Don't tell me that all of this hair doesn't remind you of Rapunzel."

"You come up with nicknames for everyone?"

"I try to. Even came up with one for you." Bakura stood next to the shorter male and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Now do you prefer Pipsqueak or Squirt?"

Yuugi bristled and sized up the taller man next to him before pushing his hand away. "That depends. Do you prefer jack or ass?"

"Fair enough. I guess I shouldn't try to give you a nickname before I get to know you." He put his hand back on Yuugi's shoulder. "You're a pro gamer, right?"

"Yes, I am." Yuugi answered before shrugging Bakura's hand off. "And will you stop touching me? I don't know you. Not everyone can have the privilege of laying their hands on me."

"As a pro gamer, you get a lot of customized gaming stuff, right?"

"Yeah."

"How much did it cost you to get all your controllers made extra-small? Because my six-year-old cousin wanted an Xbox, and I wanted to make sure that he was comfortable while holding his controller."

Ignoring the insult that just came from the man next to him, Yuugi turned to Ryou. "I don't think you should date this guy. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life." And then he turned to Mai. "Where's the alcohol?"

To which Mai responded with a laugh. "You don't want to see the house first?"

"I can see the house on the way to the liquor. Take me to it, please."

 _XxxX_

Malik shook his head as he watched his friend open Mai's refrigerator and get another beer bottle. The recycling bin was nearly full and he was sure that Yuugi was responsible for almost half of the bottles in there. After their tour of the house, Yuugi made a beeline back to the kitchen. "Any particular reason you're trying to get drunk?"

"I'm not," the shorter one responded as he closed the refrigerator. "I just want to feel a buzz."

"Keep downing bottle after bottle and a buzz won't be all that you feel." Malik crossed his arms. "Is it because Bakura insulted your height?"

A sigh. "No, but…I'm sensitive about that. I'm surprised Ryou didn't say anything to stop him. I mean he should know that I don't like being called short."

Malik went to the refrigerator to get himself a drink – a soda, he wasn't much of a drinker – and he shrugged. "He was just as shocked as Joey and I was. I'm sure he didn't expect for him to say that."

Yuugi's response was a mere shrug. He wasn't entirely interested in trying to assess how Ryou's apparent boyfriend hit a sore spot during his introduction; he was more interested in how long it would take him to feel that buzz that he wanted. Four Heinekens and he was still just as sober as when he walked in. Of course, there was liquor in the freezer, but Yuugi hated the taste of Cîroc; and given the tossup between the two, Heineken was the better option. All he wanted to do was get a little tipsy so that he could act a fool – not a _complete_ fool, just fool enough – with his friends, but apparently that wasn't in the cards for him.

"Why don't you go mingle? It'll take your mind off of Bakura quicker than trying to get drunk will." Malik leaned against the kitchen counter in front of his friend and smirked. "Besides, I heard that your crush was here."

"One, I know everyone here. Save for Mai, Joey, you, and Ryou; I don't wanna talk to anyone in this house. Two, I have no crushes, so what the hell are you talking about?"

"Why did you come to the party if all you're gonna do is drink and be anti-social?"

"I'm not being anti-social. And Mai asked me to, it was her house warming party; I couldn't say 'no'. Now, answer my question."

"You don't have a crush on the King of Games?"

The shorter man made a face. "Hell no. How could you even think that?"

"Because you always talk about how good he looks."

"I do not." Yuugi folded his arms stubbornly. "I met him one time at a gala, and thought he looked nice in the suit that he was wearing. Other than that, I don't talk about him. I don't even like him."

"But you think he looks nice?"

"Yeah. Isn't it possible to think someone looks nice without liking them?"

Malik sneered. "No."

"Whatever. I don't like that guy. He's rich and famous for what reason exactly? Picking up a card and putting it on a table?"

"Says the guy that makes bank to push buttons. I really don't think you got room to talk. Besides, you love Duel Monsters."

"I don't love it, I –" Yuugi began, but was cut off by the tanned male he was conversing with taking ahold of his button-down and ripping it open, quite a few of the buttons popping off.

Malik pointed at the Dark Magician tattoo that took up a good percentage of his friend's torso. "Lie again."

"I'm not lying. I like Duel Monsters, but I'm not completely crazy about it."

"Just crazy enough to get a giant tattoo of your favorite card, right?" He shook his head before laughing. "You are something else, you know that? You are really something else."

Yuugi rolled his eyes before going back to his drinking. "You owe me a shirt."

"And you owe me a truthful statement. Admit that you like Yami."

"I'm not admitting to something that's not true. I don't –"

As if on cue, the topic of Malik and Yuugi's conversation walked into the kitchen, opening the refrigerator getting himself one of the few Heinekens left.

Either Yuugi really was drunk off the few beers he had, or Yami was just damn _fine_. Was he wearing a shirt that was two sizes too small, or was he just that damn big? His arms looked like they'd torn through the short sleeves of his polo and the shirt hugged his chest so tightly that Yuugi could see his pectoral and abdominal muscles in high-definition. And then his legs – oh Jesus, his legs – were so toned and strong looking, like he spent all of his free time doing deep squats. Yami's calves transitioned so nicely into his thighs, and those thighs turned into a nice, toned, firm-looking ass. Oh, what Yuugi wouldn't give to…wait, was he drooling?

Yuugi shook his head and looked away, putting his now empty bottle back to his lips, hoping to disguise how he just blatantly checked out the same man he just said that he didn't like.

Without a word or a passing glance, Yami got his drink and left just as quickly as he came in, leaving Yuugi and Malik to finish their discussion,

"You don't like him?" The taller male mockingly asked, folding his arms over his chest. "Seems to me that you got a little start struck."

To which Yuugi responded with a huff. "What could possibly make you think that?"

Malik pointed to the empty bottle at Yuugi's lips. "You're drinking air."

Yuugi sucked his teeth and tossed the bottle in the recycling bin. "I'm not star struck. I told you, I didn't like him."

"So you expect me to just ignore how you undressed him with your eyes? Oh yeah, I saw you." He gave a cheeky grin. "I'm just supposed to ignore that?"

"I didn't –" Yuugi began, but stopped himself and sighed at the fact that he _did_ just have an eyegasm.

"Don't even _try_ to say that you didn't. I _saw_ you. He walked in fully clothed, didn't even speak, didn't even look at you, and he's got you hot and bothered."

"Ain't nothing about him that makes me hot and bothered."

Malik brought his finger to his mouth, lightly touching his tongue before using that same finger to touch Yuugi's neck, imitating a burning sound – the same sound you would hear if a drop of water fell onto a hot stove top – before giving another saucy grin. "You lying."

And Yuugi smacked his hand away before pointing a finger in his face. "Malik, I know what you're doing. Cut it out."

"What are you talking about? What am I doing?"

"Trying to play matchmaker."

The taller man laughed and pushed Yuugi's finger away. "Actually, no I'm not. All I want you to do is stop denying the fact that you like him because you don't like what he does for a living. Quit being stubborn."

Yuugi sighed. He knew admitting to Malik how he felt about the King of Games would only encourage Malik to set them up more, but what was the point of lying? "Fine. I like him. Are you happy now?"

Malik's grin only grew as he held up a finger. "One second." And then he was gone.

Yuugi's eyes dropped to the floor. This was embarrassing. He'd just went on a rant about how much he _didn't_ like Yami, and then the bastard walked in and had the nerve to look good while doing it. _Congratulations,_ He thought, shaking his head and walking to the refrigerator for the fifth time that night. _You played yourself._

It took Malik a lot longer than "one second" to come back to the kitchen, and he returned with his own look-a-like.

Yuugi cocked a brow and crossed his arms. "What's this?"

"This is your key to a date with the King of Games." Malik's smirk returned.

"What makes you think that I wanna date him? Just because I caved and said that I liked him doesn't mean anything."

"Liar. Anyway, Marik's gonna help set you up with him."

"I said I _might._ You haven't told me what's in it for me yet," Marik corrected, earning an eye roll from his boyfriend. "From what you told me, this date won't be made easily."

"What exactly did he tell you?" Yuugi glanced over at Malik; he'd been notorious for stretching the truth on occasion, especially when he wanted things to go his way.

"That you hate how he makes his money, but you appreciate how he looks."

"He's exaggerating. I don't hate how he makes his money; I just don't think he should be rich for playing cards."

This time, it was Marik who cocked a brow. "Do you know what _you_ do for a living? You ain't got no room to talk. You get to travel the world and make almost millions to look at a screen and push buttons."

"I –" Yuugi began, but shook his head. It was pointless to argue. "Just tell me how you're supposed to be hooking me up with Yami."

"I'm not doing anything yet." Malik's look-a-like smirked and folded his arms. "Malik hasn't told me what I get in return for this favor."

"Right, I forgot about that." Malik cleared his throat before tapping his chin, but the actions seemed poorly executed, as though he was only pretending to ponder this situation. Then, "If you _don't_ do this, I'll tell your probation officer that I haven't seen you."

For a while, Marik said nothing. Then, realizing his boyfriend wasn't bluffing. With his long – very long, almost never-ending – list of petty crimes and misdemeanors (most commonly disorderly conduct, petty theft, and trespassing), the last thing he needed was for his probation officer to think that he was getting into even more trouble. "Fine. I'll help."

Ignoring – or trying to ignore – the smug expression on Malik's face, Yuugi pushed past him and stood before Marik. "So, what exactly is it that you're going to do?"

"I'm going to get Yami to ask you out. We've known each other almost our whole lives, and I'm proud to say I'm pretty good at convincing him to do things. All I need is your phone number and a few days to work my magic."

"A few days?"

"Yami can be crazy stubborn sometimes. Even when I'm doing my best work he still holds out." Marik shook his head. "Anyway, in a couple of days; he'll hit your line."

Yuugi shrugged. It wasn't like he was chomping at the bit to date the man – and he knew Marik well enough to anticipate that that would be the impression he gave; in a way he was just like Malik – but it would be a valuable experience. If things didn't go well, then he would be rid of this ridiculous crush and Malik's annoying insistence that he act on those feelings; but if things did go well, it would be enjoyable to know that he was in a relationship with someone. He'd been single way too long.

"Well?"

"Fine."

Maybe Yuugi _did_ want to date Yami. Or at least get to know him better.

Or maybe he was really was drunk. Who knows?

 _ **A/N: I do not intend on this being a very long story. That being said, I plan to update either Weekly or Bi-weekly (do not hold me to this, sometimes things don't always go as I planned). I know this first chapter barely had any interaction between Yami and Yuugi, but I promise, the rest of the story will have plenty. And I know that the scene with Bakura seemed kind of pointless, but I intend on having it play out into the humor of this fic (don't hold me to that either). Thanks for reading.**_


	2. Tried That We Could Be

_**A/N: Disclaimer: "oui" was written and recorded by Jeremih and appears on "Late Nights: The Album", a Def Jam Recordings production. Said album was released on December 10**_ _ **th**_ _ **2015 and said song was released on October 30**_ _ **th**_ _ **2015.**_

 _ **I do not own YuGiOh. This much should be obvious.**_

 _Chapter 2: …Tried that we could be…_

It was the _driest_ text message he'd ever read in his life. Of course, enthusiasm and excitement weren't exactly the easiest things to put into a text message; but the text could've been worded differently.

 _We should hang._

Had Yuugi been the one sending the message to him he would've at least tried to start a conversation with a "hello" or some type of friendly greeting. And then after a nice message or two he would have said something along the lines of _You wanna hang out? Maybe get to know each other better in person?_

But, much to his dismay, Yami was not Yuugi and so Yuugi could not expect for him to do something like he himself would. So the dry-ass, boring-ass text that Yami sent had to suffice. But the conversation afterwards made Yuugi cringe.

It seemed like Yami didn't even want to talk to him, let alone go out with him. When Yuugi asked when they should meet up, his response was a lackluster _whenever_. When he asked where, Yami replied with _wherever._ If it was one thing that Yuugi hated, it was a date that was indifferent. He knew that it wouldn't kill Yami to at least put a little bit of effort into setting up their…

What should he call it? It wasn't a date – Yuugi was going to be sure that Yami didn't spend a penny on him – they were just going to a bar. Maybe just a hangout? Whatever Yuugi decided to call it, it didn't change the fact that it seemed like Yami could care less about seeing him or about where they went…

"Then why you still meeting him?"

Yuugi ceased the telling of his story and turned to his right, giving the white haired male an icy glare. "Are you writing a book? Because I damn sure wasn't talking to you. I was talking to Ryou."

To which Bakura responded with a huff. "I'm in the room and can hear you too."

"Just because you happen to be at Ryou's place doesn't mean that I have to talk to you."

"Bakura…Yuugi…" Ryou sighed, causing the two bickering men to look over at him. The two had been arguing since Yuugi had set foot in the small apartment. Unlike his famous friend, Ryou didn't make enough money to pay for a large house and live a lavish lifestyle. He was far from broke, but most of his money went to paying his rent and tuition. "Can you guys not?"

"Fine." Yuugi folded his arms over his chest. "Anyway, I didn't like how uninterested he seemed. I'm still gonna meet him, and I guess I'll express how I hate when people seem uninterested. Hopefully we'll see eye to eye."

Bakura shifted on the couch, lying with his head on Ryou's lap. "Eye to eye?" And then he looked over at Yuugi, cocking a brow. "Ain't you gonna need a stool?"

The shorter one's jaw tightened. "Yeah. I'll get the same stool I used to milk you with, Elsie."

Ryou hollered with laughter and earned a glare from the man lying in his lap. "Don't look at me like that Elsie. It was funny, I have a right to laugh. And you kind of deserved it."

"Man, whatever." Bakura sat up, crossing his arms. "I don't even understand why he's going to see him. They don't like each other. What the hell are they gonna talk about? 'Hey, what do you do for a living? Oh I'm an Expert Duelist. That's a stupid job. Well what do you do? I'm a pro gamer. That's a pointless fucking job. Well fuck you. Fuck you too.' Boom. Date's over before the bartender even approaches you. It'll be a waste of time."

"Okay, first of all," Yuugi began, holding up a finger, "I doubt that the date will end before I get at least one drink. Secondly, I thought about that and realized that there are other ways to start a conversation."

"Like what? How you manage to get into a bar even though you look twelve?"

Yuugi's muscles tensed. By now, Ryou had to have informed him of how he felt when people took shots at his appearance. So for Bakura to continue to take jabs at him meant that the guy was just a pure asshole, and if Ryou wanted to date an asshole…well then that was his decision. To each his own. "As I was saying, there are other things we can talk about while we indulge in what liquors the bar has to offer us. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have someone to meet and I'd like to beat him there."

"Wow." Ryou shook his head. "It's so amazing that you can be dressed, ready, and on time for a date with a guy you don't even like; but when your closest friends want to go somewhere, you're never ready to go. That just amazes me."

"I think…" Bakura began, but was cut off by the smaller male walking towards the door.

"Ain't nobody ask you what you think." Then he opened the door, but before Yuugi left, he looked over his shoulder and added, "Shut the fuck up." And then he was gone.

 _XxxX_

He told himself he wouldn't drink until Yami got there. He wanted to make sure this man was just as fine through sober eyes as he was through buzzed eyes, but he'd been wanting some Scotch since he and Yami confirmed that they'd meet up here. It was hard. Very tempting, especially with all the other people drinking carelessly. He checked his Rolex, shaking it to move a diamond out of the way in order for him to properly see the hour hand. Nine pm on the dot. The time they'd agreed to meet up.

Seriously? The one time he actually decided to be punctual and his date wasn't…

"Yuugi?"

…here…

Yep. Yami was just as good-looking without the influence of alcohol as he was with the influence of alcohol. The man was just damn _fine_.

The smaller one brought his eyes up from his watch, making sure to slowly take in every inch of the duelist's beauty. Once again, the man's shirt tightly hugged his body, not leaving anything to Yuugi's imagination; if it wasn't creepy, he would count every single ab. Moving upward, he noticed that the shirt was sleeveless and he wanted nothing more than to feel the pure muscle that ran up both of his arms. Yuugi also noticed that Yami looked very good in black. _Very_ good. If they weren't in a public place right now…

"Yuugi?" Yami repeated, a little louder this time, wanting to get the smaller one's attention.

Yuugi stopped staring at Yami's body and brought his eyes up to the other's face, trying to act like he wasn't just having another eyegasm. "Sup."

The duelist took a seat in the stool next to Yuugi, resting his arms on the counter in front of them. "You don't look old enough to be in a bar."

And Yuugi's star struck gaze turned into a taciturn one. "I get that a lot. And before you ask, I'm twenty-two. My height and lack of facial hair makes me look younger than I actually am."

"Okay." Yami gave a lazy, one shouldered shrug. "I take it you don't like being told you look young. Most people would take it as a compliment."

"Well, I'm not most people." The smaller one then turned his attention to the woman behind the counter. "Hey, I need some Scotch."

But instead of nodding and preparing his drink, the woman narrowed her eyes and made her way over to Yuugi. "ID please?"

"Are you kidding me? I'm here all the time." He argued, but at the same time pulled his wallet out and tossed it to her.

"You don't look twenty-two. I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave…" The bartender then took a glance back at Yuugi's driver's license, "…Yuugi."

"Vivian, quit playing, alright? I don't have time for you to mess with me in front of my friend. Just get me my drink."

"Playing?" Vivian scoffed. "I'm most definitely not playing. You have to leave." And then she smirked, looking in Yami's direction. "But your friend can stay. He looks like he's in need of female company."

To which Yami responded with a small smile that was anything but friendly. "I'm sorry," he said, taking Yuugi's hand. "I like dick. But I _don't_ like people disrespecting my date; now if you'll excuse us, we'll be taking our business elsewhere."

To say that Vivian looked shocked as she watched Yuugi leave with who she would describe as the sexiest man she'd ever seen in her life would be an understatement. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped slightly for a split second before she uttered a sound that blended disappointment, frustration, and pure anger.

"What's her problem?" Yami asked once himself and the smaller man next to him were down the sidewalk away from the bar.

Yuugi sighed. "Vivian's always been known to lose her shit whenever a cute guy comes into the bar. It's sad how desperate she is." And then he looked at Yami, taking in that beautiful bronze skin stretched over that perfectly muscular body. "I don't know why I didn't see this coming."

"Maybe it's because you were too preoccupied with enjoying the show for yourself."

A smirk etched its way across Yami's face – which Yuugi might have appreciated more than his body – and the smaller one tried to feign ignorance. "What?"

The duelist shook his head. "Nope, don't play dumb Yuugi. I _know_ when someone's checking me out, and your cover up for it was complete trash. Unless your watch has the word 'apocalypse' written across it in all caps, then there's no need for you to spend almost a minute looking at it. It doesn't take anyone _that_ damn long to check the time."

"Someone's a little arrogant, don't you think?"

"It's not cockiness, it's confidence."

"Over confidence. Anyway, I should've figured that she would drool all over you. I just didn't expect for her to do me dirty like that."

"All jokes aside, you really don't look old enough to be in a bar. Or old enough to have all that ink."

Yuugi's jaw tightened. "I already told you, I'm twenty two. It's not my fault that I stopped growing when I was twelve."

Yami put his hands up defensively. "Whoa, did I hit a nerve?"

"Yes, you did. People aren't exactly nice to the Little Guys, and I'm no exception. I'd appreciate it if you'd stop bringing up my height."

"Sorry. We'll talk about something else." A brief silence. Then, "Anything on your mind?"

"Yeah. Uh, if we do hang out again in the future, then can you at least seem like you want to set up a…date – I guess – with me. Because earlier today your messages gave me the impression that you didn't want to do it."

The duelist offered an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry. I wasn't fully focused on my messages earlier, Marik was pissing me off. I promise that _when_ we set up for a second meeting I will actually put in effort."

"So you're that confident I'm gonna go out with you again, huh?"

"Of course. You obviously like me. I mean, you held my hand up until a couple of minutes ago, it's obvious you like me. People that don't like each other don't hold hands.

Damn, that's right. He did hold Yami's hand after they left. "I'm…" Yuugi's face reddened by three shades. "I guess you got me on that one…" Which he did. Holding Yami's hand then was a lot different than when he shook it briefly at that gala roughly half a year ago. It was nicer and a lot more intimate. He liked it. "What, uh…what did Marik say to you? You know, to get you to hang out with me?"

"He said that you were really adamant about getting to know me, even though we don't particularly like each other's professions; and he said that you pretty much undressed me with your eyes at Mai's housewarming party."

"What?" Yuugi huffed and shook his head. "Dude wasn't even in the room when that happened."

"Oh, so you actually did that?" Yami's smirk was back. "I thought he was exaggerating. So, after only speaking to me one time for ten seconds, you see me at a party and pretty much wanna bone? I didn't know you were that type, but if that's what you want…"

" _No_. I don't sleep with people on the first date; that is my number one rule. We barely know each other…"

"We can play Twenty Questions right quick and get to know each other."

"Twenty…?" Yuugi stopped walking and looked at the man before him. "How old are you?"

"Twenty-seven."

"And you wanna play a game that's for teenagers?"

"You said that we barely know each other. This game, though it's kinda childish, will fix that. Besides, I'm not suggesting it so we can sleep together. I'm fine with playing for a kiss."

"Play Twenty Questions for a kiss?"

"Yep. But not one of those half second kisses, a real kiss." Yami dropped his voice to a whisper and purred, "A grown man kiss."

The shiver than ran down Yuugi's spine told him that he may not mind playing this game with Yami in order to kiss him _like that_. Hell, he might not even get through all twenty questions. "Alright, but the questions have to be age appropriate. No easy shit like 'what's your favorite color' or 'are you a virgin' or anything like that. Got it?"

The duelist nodded. "Fair enough. You go first."

Yuugi leaned against a nearby building and pursed his lips. "Um…okay, since I already know what you do for a living, tell me what your friends do for a living."

"Well, one of my friends came up with this game called "Dungeon Dice Monsters. It's kinda based off Duel Monsters, but different rules. It hasn't really taken off yet, but it's a good game and I think that in time it'll make him famous. And then my cousin is the owner and founder of KaibaCorp."

The shorter one nearly choked on his own saliva. "Wait, Seto Kaiba, one of the richest men in the world, is related to you?"

"Yeah."

The smaller one nodded. "Alright then. Is Kaiba really the uncaring asshole that people say he is?"

"Yes and no. I don't spend every waking moment with him, but I know him well enough to tell you that he has feelings. He might act like a robot in public...and in private, but if you're around him long enough sometimes you can pick up hints that he's human."

"Does he…"

"Am I gonna get a chance to ask a question?" The duelist cut in, and Yuugi scowled. "Thank you." That damn smirk was back. "I'd like to know what your friends do for a living."

"That's not a question." And then Yuugi gave a smirk of his own as he watched Yami's falter.

The taller man's jaw tightened. "What do your friends do?"

"Ryou's in school, studying to be a physician. Malik's between jobs. And Joey…I'm not really sure what the hell he does. I'm starting to think that he doesn't even have a job."

"He never…"

"I don't believe it's your turn anymore. You'll have to hold that thought until next round."

"Do you even have a question to ask me?"

Yuugi's smirk disappeared and he shrugged. "I'm sure I can think of one."

"Can you let me ask my question while you think of yours?"

"That's not how it works, but I feel nice today, so go ahead."

"Did your friend ever tell you what he did for a living?"

"Nah. Every time me, Ryou, or Malik asked he would always say that we know what he does and to quit playing. I don't understand. He knows we won't judge him if he doesn't have a job." Yuugi chuckled and s small smile crept onto his face. "We mess with him a lot about it; like whenever he says that he has to work, one of us will be like 'you ain't got a job'!"

"I'm pretty sure if he didn't have a job, he'd be broke."

"That's the thing. We have no clue where he get's his money from. Dude has a car, a place to live, food to eat, and clothes to wear but we can't for the life of us figure out how the hell he pays for it. I've stopped trying to figure it out, honestly. I'll find out soon enough. And while we talking about Joey, he's a huge Kaiba fan. Maybe you could set up a meeting between them."

"I doubt it. One: I'm Kaiba's cousin, not his secretary; I can't set up a meeting with him and your friend. Best I could do is invite both of you to my next tournament and hope they cross paths. Two: I don't think Kaiba wants to associate himself with the unemployed."

"And why is that?"

"Is that your question?"

"What – no! Will you forget about this stupid game?"

"Is _that_ your question? If it is, I'd like my kiss now."

Yuugi started to say no, and proceed to curse the taller man out; but damn if he didn't wanna taste that man's mouth right now. It's like his immaturity made him more appealing. After spending a minute pretending to weigh his options – the choice was obvious, but he didn't want to seem too eager – he walked over to him, looking up at the taller man. "Fine."

"I know I am."

And then…absolute paradise.

It was an understatement to say that Yuugi liked how soft Yami's lips were. It was an understatement to say that he liked how full his lips were. It was an understatement to say he liked how Yami's lips covered his own. Yuugi absolutely fucking loved it. It took his breath away, it sent a chill down his spine, it awoke desires in him that had lain dormant for a long time.

He could feel Yami's strong arms wrap around him and pull him into that – that glorious, godly body. He could feel the duelists pectorals press against his. He could feel…a tongue – oh, that's right he was supposed to be kissing back. If he thought Yami's lips were fucking awesome, he didn't know what to think of his tongue. One minute it was rough and aggressive and the next it was smooth and gentle; it teased him. Made him want more. Damn his morals…

Of course, Yuugi figured that Yami would pull away before he was ready; but that could be fixed. He rose to his tiptoes and tilted his head upward…

…Only for his lips to be met with a finger.

"Nope. You don't get another kiss until the second date."

Now wait a whole damn minute. What kind of shit was this? "You're kidding, right?"

The duelist shook his head. "I'm not. Just like you have your rule of not sleeping with people on the first date, I don't offer more than one kiss on the first date."

"But you'll bone on the first date?"

"There's no written rule that you have to kiss during sex."

"True, but answer me this: have you ever done it before?"

The silence that ensued was the answer that Yuugi was looking for.

"Exactly."

"As I was saying, if you want another kiss – and maybe a little more – I suggest that we set up a second date." And that fucking smirk was back.

Damn his infuriating attractiveness…

 _ **A/N: Most of the jokes and puns in this chapter and throughout this fic are a play on a popular 90's sitcom. Thanks for reading.**_


	3. Somewhere in a Climate

_**A/N: So…we don't review stories anymore? That's what's up now? That's what's poppin' rn? Bet. (Thanks to that guest that reviewed. I appreciate it a lot)**_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ _ **Disclaimer: "Oui" was written by Jeremih and appears on "Late Nights: The Album", a Def Jam Recordings Production. Said album was released on December 10th, 2015 and said song was released on October 30th, 2015.**_

 _ **I do not own YuGiOh. This much should be obvious.**_

 _Chapter 3:_ _…Somewhere in a Climate…_

"How can you eat and play online at the same time?

The sudden voice behind him made Yuugi almost jump out of his skin – _almost_. Since actually doing that was physically impossible, dropping his box of fries onto the floor and losing about half of them would suffice. Cursing under his breath, he cast a glance over his shoulder and attempted to stare a hole into the tanned, blonde male behind his futon. "How the hell do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Come up behind people like that. I didn't even hear you come in."

"I mean it's pretty hard to train your ear to someone coming in when you have your mind completely focused on food and Battlefield."

"How did you get in here anyway?"

"…The door…" Malik responded, raising a brow at his friend.

Yuugi's jaw tightened. "How the fuck did you _open_ the door? I know for a fact I locked it; I have too much expensive shit in here to leave my door unlocked."

Malik laughed and flopped down next to his friend. "Stop leaving your extra key in the most obvious of places. Put it in a plant or something."

"Or," Yuugi began, cleaning up the fries he'd spilled – and briefly debated not throwing them away, they hadn't really been on the ground _that_ long, but decided against it. "You could ring the doorbell like a normal person."

"Doorbells serve no purpose other than alerting people to the presence of a stranger. I am not a stranger, therefore, I don't use the doorbell."

Yuugi's response was a blink. Then, "Marik's rubbed off on you too much. Next you'll start saying 'graffiti is just art and the canvas is whatever deemed fit whether it be on a train car or the side of a building."

"Marik has not rubbed off on me. And even if he did, that's what happens when people date, they start to act like each other. Speaking of dating, how'd your date with Yami go?"

"I mean…" Yuugi put a few (clean) fries into his mouth and then wiped his hands before picking up his controller. "it wasn't terrible…"

"Aw hell, what he do?"

"He didn't do anything. We went to my favorite bar and Vivian embarrassed me in front of him, and he got mad and took us outta there. Nothing really happened after that. We talked and got to know each other."

Malik shook his head. "No way that's all that happened. I saw how you looked at this dude a few days ago and you expect me to believe all you did was talk to this bastard? Come on Yuugi, stop lying What really happened?"

"I'm telling you, that's what happened. Well, he did kiss me, but that's it. You know I don't do anything on the first date."

"That's it? You just talked and kissed one time? Like you're a preteen couple or something?"

"It's his fault. He had this stupid rule that he don't make out with people on the first date…" Yuugi stated, but before he could continue his explanation be was interrupted by the hysterical laughter of his friend. "What the hell is so funny?"

"You are so gullible. You really think he was serious about that? Dude was obviously making fun of your stupid first date rule." Malik crossed his arms and cocked a brow. "You really think that out of all the dates he's been on, he's never made out with anyone? Come on Yuugi, use your head."

"My first date rule isn't stupid. I don't wanna give the impression that I'll sleep with just anyone."

"But…you do. Especially when there's alcohol involved. I bet that if Yami hadn't drug you outta that bar last night, you would've gotten drunk off your ass and fucked him."

Yuugi put down his controller, not caring at the moment that he was in the middle of a match and was most likely going to cause his team to lose. "What are you trying to say?"

"I'm not trying to say anything; I've already said it. If any date you go on involves drinking, you're going to get drunk and fuck someone. It's happened plenty of times."

"Name one."

Malik smirked. "Just one? I'll name them all. Anzu, Duke, Valon, Alister, Yusei, Rebecca, – and those are only the people that live here, I haven't even gotten to the probably tons of other people you've been with when you're traveling for tournaments."

"It's not tons…"

"But you admit that you have slept with other people the first time you went out with them? Hell, even the same day you met them?"

Yuugi was silent for a minute, using this brief period of time to bite his cheek. Then, he picked up his controller and chose to respawn his character. "I plead the fifth."

"Ironically enough, choosing not to incriminate yourself only further incriminates you." The taller one shifted, reclining back onto the futon. "It might be a good thing that you stayed sober during your date. All the other ones you been on that involved alcohol, you slept with your date and then fell out a few weeks later. Maybe you and Yami will stay together."

"I doubt me not drinking at all last night will have any effect on my relationship with him."

"That your way of saying you not trying to see him again?"

"Hell no!" Yuugi cried in protest before realizing that he'd gotten far too excited over a simple question. He took a deep breath and set his controller down for a second time. "I mean, no, that's not my way of saying I'm not trying to see him again. Actually, soon as I'm done getting my practice in, I'm gonna call him. Or try to, anyway."

"Really? So you _do_ wanna see him again?"

"Yeah. When he wasn't being a snarky pain in the ass, he was good company. Plus, the man's too fine for his own good. How can I not see him again?"

"So you like him?"

"I mean, he's not a bad person to be around…"

"That's not what I asked you."

Yuugi gave a defeated sigh. He knew this was coming; while Malik was a good friend, he was famous for exposing his peers in lies. "Yes, I like him. Think I already told you this at the party though."

"Yeah, but you said it then just so I would shut up and drop the subject." The taller one rested his hands behind his head and looked over at Yuugi. "This time, it's different. I haven't annoyed you to the point where you want me to stop talking. So this time, your answer is completely honest and you aren't telling me what you think I wanna hear. Now, I'm gonna ask you again: you like him?"

"Yes…" It was kind of embarrassing to be caught in a lie.

"I knew it. So, what's he like?"

"Cocky as fuck. Dude makes Kanye West seem modest." Yuugi laughed. Yami's over confidence was bothersome, but at the same time it was probably just as sexy as his body. It was most definitely a huge turn on.

"That's it? He's not interesting or anything? I mean, he's an undefeated duelist; I kinda already knew he'd be cocky. Tell me something else, something that'll make my jaw drop."

"Kaiba's his cousin."

Malik definitely got what he asked for. In fact, his jaw might've hit the ground. "You're lying to me."

"I'm not. He told me that last night. Even offered to get Joey and I tickets to the next KaibaCorp tournament…"

"What?!" Malik interrupted, his expression changing from pure shock to obvious irritation with just a hint of envy. "Why Joey? Why not me? We were friends first!"

Yuugi put his hands up innocently. "Why are you yelling at me? All I did was tell him that Joey was a big fan of Kaiba and that maybe he could set up a meeting between them. He told me that setting up a meeting between them was impossible, but he could invite us to the next tournament and maybe they'll meet."

"Why Joey though? I wanna go. The next tournament's in Vancouver, and I always wanted to go to Canada."

"Then…wait. You know it's March, right?"

Malik nodded.

"Early March. Like, still cold in certain places, March."

"I know."

"You know that early March in LA is different than early March in Vancouver, right?"

"Yeah."

"You hate cold weather. Why would you want to go to one of the coldest places on the planet when it's still snow on the ground?"

The tanned male shrugged. "I just feel like if this is an opportunity for me to go to Canada then I'm gonna take it. Beggars can't be choosers. I just wish I could go with you instead of Joey going with you."

"If you wanna go that badly, why don't you just buy yourself a ticket?"

"Oh, yeah. Sure. Let me just pull hundreds – no, thousands – of dollars outta my ass to pay for a tournament ticket, a plane ticket – round trip – and a hotel room for more than just one night. In another country."

The smaller man's hands fell limply to his sides. "Well, what do you want me to do about that?"

Malik stuck his bottom lip out slightly and made sure to give his best impression of innocence, despite the always mischievous look in his eyes. Usually this particular pouty, begging expression made both his sister and Marik give in to his demands. "Pay my way?"

But Yuugi was neither of those two people.

"Don't ever do that again."

Malik's innocent façade vanished and he sucked his teeth. "Is that a no?"

"Malik…you know I don't mind paying your way, but then Marik's gonna wanna go with you. Which, I don't mind paying for him either. But if you two go, then Ryou and Bakura are gonna wanna go; and while I don't mind paying for Ryou, you've got me _all_ the way fucked up if you think I'm putting a cent of my money into _that_ asshole he's dating."

"Then tell Bakura he can't go."

Yuugi shook his head. "I can't do that. Ryou would probably want him to go because, for some odd reason, he likes him."

"Then…pay his way but buy his plane ticket in coach."

"If I'm paying for you guys, we're all sitting in coach. I mean, I know I'm well off, but I'm not stupid rich. And I do have other things to pay for."

"Please? I really wanna go."

Yuugi was often too nice for his own good – at least, he was too nice to those he cared about. If Malik really wanted to go to the next KaibaCorp tournament, then he'd pay for it. Even if that meant paying for Marik and Ryou, and… _Bakura_. "Fine."

 _XxxX_

"Bené, not now – down! I'll play with you in a little bit, just give me fifteen minutes."

Of course, Bené had no idea how long fifteen minutes was. Hell, he didn't even know how long a minute was. In fact, the only words his master said that he could understand were his name, play, and down. It was very confusing. He said "down" and then said "play" right after that; what did he want? Confused, the dog lowered his upper body off of his master's lap and sat back on his haunches.

"Good boy. Wait here, I'll be right back; I gotta make a phone call."

Yami reached down and rubbed his dog between the ears before leaving his bedroom, opting to make this phone call downstairs from his living room. Normally, Yami wasn't a huge fan of speaking on the phone; he usually communicated via text, email, or any other indirect way of communication. Despite his popularity and public image, Yami was not a very social person and preferred to keep to himself; even when dating, he wasn't much for very public places or direct communication. However, his date with Yuugi brought out a side of him that he never really knew he had. A bolder, more arrogant, more outgoing side. And he liked it.

Hence why he was choosing to call – hell, not just call, _FaceTime_ – the man instead of just texting him. He also may or may not want to see him without actually having to physically meet him face to face. Besides, Yuugi had asked him to put forth more effort in setting up their next date in order to make it seem like he wanted to see him. Yami figured that since Yuugi had asked so nicely, the least he could do was deliver.

Reclining back on his couch, Yami dialed the smaller man's number. Oddly enough and much to his surprise, Yuugi picked up almost immediately. He noticed how the other took a second to clear his throat and flick away a strand of loose blonde hair before looking into his phone's camera and addressing him. "Sup."

Was he still trying to play it cool? Like they were just old friends and not two people trying to become a couple? That was definitely going to be put to a stop, and quickly. He smirked, "Hi Sweetie."

Yuugi's face twisted to express a mixture of disgust and confusion. " _Sweetie_? That's what you're calling me now?"

"It's better than calling you 'bae'."

"Not really."

This time, it was Yami's turn to bear the confused expression. Then, "Aibou?"

Ho noticed how Yuugi's eyes lit up, possibly out of surprise and satisfaction. "I like that."

"Good. So, _Aibou_ , I wanted to tell you that we might not be able to go on a second as soon as you think." He saw Yuugi try to hide his disappointment with a shrug, but he could tell by the way the smaller one's eyes dulled that he was upset.

"How long is the wait, then?"

"About three weeks. I have a lot to do with preparing myself for Kaiba's next tournament. And I have to get you and your friend tickets like I said I would."

More disappointment flashed in those usually vibrant and beautiful amethyst eyes.

"But," Yami began, grinning when he saw a glint of hope in Yuugi's expression. "I did take the liberty of setting up our second date, with the effort that you asked me for."

A small smile tugged at the corners of Yuugi's mouth. "I'm listening."

"How does dinner at a nice, but not too fancy restaurant sound? It's in Domino City, just an hour outside of LA. I think you'd like it, and no one there will gawk over me and embarrass you like yesterday."

"Sounds like a fun date. I don't have to dress up or anything, do I?"

"Not fancy, but I would appreciate it if you looked nice."

The smaller one sucked his teeth and scowled. "So, you're saying I didn't look nice yesterday?"

"No. You looked fine, you dressed for the occasion of going to the bar. I'm just asking you to dress for the occasion again."

"Would you believe me if I told you that I didn't have anything for the occasion of a really nice restaurant?"

"Of course not. The first time I saw you, you were wearing a suit and tie. I know you have to have nice clothing somewhere in your closet."

"But I don't like dressing up…"

"Don't fight this. I've already made the reservation three weeks from today in the early evening."

Yuugi cocked a brow. "Why the early evening?"

"Because I have other plans for you later that night."

This definitely peaked Yuugi's interest. "What kind of plans?"

"That's for me to know and for you to find out and enjoy at a later date."

"How are you so sure I'll enjoy it?"

Yami smirked, and inwardly relished in the blush that appeared on Yuugi's cheeks. Trust me, you will. If you liked how I kissed you, you'll like what I have in store."

"Is that so?"

"It sure the hell is. By the way, you're really cute when you blush."

"I…" Yuugi looked away. He was acting like a sixteen-year-old girl, and it was absolutely adorable.

"You what?"

"I…" He looked around. "I…uh, gotta go. I…have a match…"

"You're an awful liar."

"No I'm…bye." And then Yami's screen went dark, signaling that the call had ended. He chuckled to himself. If only three weeks of time didn't separate them…

 _ **A/N: Sorry guys, I know everyone hates those chapters that don't have any excitement or conflict or anything, but they serve the purpose of moving the plot along. Next chapter will most def have some excitement. And maybe some Puzzleshipping smut. Thanks for reading. By the way, I made a poll. You should check it out.**_


	4. That's Warm Long as You're Around Me

_**A/N: *sniffs* I smell something lemony…all up in this chapter.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: "Oui" was written by Jeremih and appears on "Late Nights: The Album", a Def Jam Recordings Production. Said album was released on December 10th, 2015 and said song was released on October 30th, 2015.**_

 _ **I do not own YuGiOh. This much should be obvious.**_

 _Chapter Four:_ _…That's Warm Long as You're Around Me…._

For once, Yuugi was determined to be on time. He was not going to be late; he was going to be dressed and ready with everything on. No putting his shoes on in the car, no playing his game when he's not completely dressed. When Yami showed up, he was going to be ready to walk out the door.

But for that to happen, Yuugi would need to know what he wanted to wear.

Yami had said to dress for the occasion of going to a rather nice but not immensely fancy restaurant. A suit and tie would be too formal, but that was the only thing that came to his mind. It wasn't like Yuugi didn't have nice clothing – because he did – but he hadn't been in many situations where he had to dress up. At least three-fourths of the clothes in his closet consisted of graphic tees, sleeveless tank tops, and cargo shorts. The rest was just a sea of V-necks, polos, slacks, casual jeans, and just a little bit of leather. And of course, his formal clothing for special appearances, galas, and whatnot.

Getting dressed would be so much easier if he knew what the other man was wearing. That way, he didn't have to fear about overdressing or underdressing. It would be so embarrassing if Yami was dressed up all nice and Yuugi just had on street clothes; but at the same time he didn't want to out dress his date. That wouldn't be good either, for Yami to be wearing jeans and a polo and Yuugi to have on a tux (that was his only suit). Damn, why was this so hard? Dressing up for his other dates wasn't this problematic.

Granted, none of his other dates had ever taken him anywhere other than a bar, a billiards hall, or their bedroom.

Maybe Malik was right. Maybe not fucking Yami on the same day of their first date was a good thing. Anyone else he went out with got boring after the second or third date, almost like he wasn't attracted to them. But Yami…. sheesh.

He doubted he'd ever get tired of him. Hell would freeze over before he found the man unattractive. This might only be the second time he's seeing him, but…there was just this gut feeling that he had that they would last. Yuugi wanted them to, in all honesty. He and the duelist just fit together like two pieces of a puzzle.

Yuugi smirked as he pulled out a sleeveless black shirt – one of his favorites – and he wondered if maybe this date would end differently. Not that he was eager to get into bed with the man – which was an absolute lie; Yuugi had been wanting to fuck Yami since Mai's party, he didn't know why he was trying to fool himself into thinking otherwise – but it would be nice to see what Yami's sex game was like, outside of any wet dreams he'd had. Just thinking about it made his…

Now was definitely not the time for this. He was supposed to be getting dressed, not fantasizing about what it would be like to fuck his date. No matter how nice the fantasy was. There had to be something better for him to think about while he decided what pants to wear with this shirt. Something like what he and the duelist would talk about during the hour long car ride to his old hometown so that it wasn't just filled with silence and awkward sexual tension. Maybe, since he and Yami still barely knew each other, they could actually talk about themselves without having to follow the rules of a stupid game.

That would be very nice.

 _XxxX_

Three words came to Yami's mind as he pulled his Maserati GranTurismo into Yuugi's stretched and stylish driveway: Nice ass house. Of course, Yami's house was much bigger than his, but still a three story home with a large yard and an outdoor swimming pool on a gaming salary was pretty damn good. And that was just the outside of the house; the interior would probably take his breath away even more. Maybe after their dinner when he brings Yuugi home, he'll have the opportunity to see it. The only thing that really seemed off about the house was that Yuugi didn't have anything on his porch. No chairs, no plants, no anything. Yami figured that his profession called for him to spend a majority of his time practicing and playing online, but did Yuugi really spend _all_ of his free time with a controller in his hand when he didn't have other plans? That would definitely have to change.

Clearing his throat, the duelist rang the doorbell and briefly wondered if he should have at least text Yuugi to tell him that he was on his way before he left the house. He had told the other what time to expect him there, but still it would've been courteous to let him know he was coming. He didn't know what was going on with Yuugi today, other than the fact that they were going out later that night. He didn't know if maybe Yuugi changed his mind, if something came up and they couldn't go out, if…

Wait, these are nervous thoughts. Why the hell is he nervous? He wasn't like this when he met with him the first time – granted, that wasn't really a date it was more of two people meeting up to drink – why was he nervous now? He'd been on plenty of dates to nice restaurants before and he was never anxious. Of course, no one had really had the effect that Yuugi had on him; most of his dates even complained that he was too quiet or soft spoken. Deep down, Yami always figured that he was a cocky bastard, but that side of him had always been suppressed. He was an introvert, and the only ones that got to see that arrogant side of him were his friends and family – people with whom he'd gotten comfortable enough around to just be himself. It was odd that he was this comfortable around Yuugi and he's only know him for a short period of time. Not that it was a bad thing, it was just a little offbeat.

As much as Yami would've loved continuing to analyze just what it was about Yuugi that brought out his true personality, his mind voided all coherent thought when the front door opened and the smaller male stepped forward. He'd always thought Yuugi was a sight for sore eyes, but what he had on right now just…holy shit. Black on black was a very basic style but it looked damn good on him. It brought out the other colors on his body such as his tattoos, the golden chain he had around his neck, his captivating amethyst eyes, and his spiky tri-colored hair. And there was something about Yuugi's presence that just made Yami's…

"As much as I would love for you to just stand here and gawk at me, we do have a reservation at a restaurant in a city an hour away from here."

Right, they did need to go eat, even though Yami wouldn't have really minded if they just stayed here in LA and…

"Yami?"

The duelist shook his head and closed his mouth – which had apparently opened without him noticing. "I wasn't gawking at you." He said before taking a step back and allowing Yuugi to exit his home.

"Then why was your mouth open? You sucking ghost dick?"

There were several great rebuttals that Yami could've given, most of which were extremely perverse, but if he said any of them it would've resulted in them trading in their dinner date to spend the rest of the day in Yuugi's bed. So instead, Yami just pointed to his coupe. "Get in the car."

Yuugi obeyed, chucking to himself as he walked towards the car and opened the passenger's door. "Nice whip. Did your last tournament pay for this?"

Yami got in on the driver's side and put his seatbelt on before waiting on the shorter man to get situated. "No, actually. It paid for my Range Rover. This car was actually a gift from Seto."

"I didn't think that Kaiba was the type to give gifts, especially expensive ones like this. I mean this car is easily over a hundred thousand dollars."

Shifting the car into reverse, Yami backed out of the driveway and then drove out of the neighborhood, heading towards the freeway. "He doesn't. Only reason I got this is because my other cousin Mokuba – his little brother – guilted him into giving me a birthday present. See, a long time ago before Kaiba had money out the ass, him and his brother were orphans. I didn't even know about them. I was twelve before I actually met them and found out that we were related, and he wasn't exactly the nicest person in the world. I mean, you think he's an asshole now, you should've seen him when we were younger. He was a total dick. Of course, I couldn't blame him. His parents died and he grew up in the system because he didn't wanna get separated from his brother, and if that doesn't turn you into an asshole then I don't know what will. Anyway, the entire time that we grew up together he never gave me anything on any type of gift-giving occasion such as Christmas or my birthday. But, I never really expected anything, I've never really cared to have an infinite amount of material things.

"The only thing that bothered me was that he had never once told me 'Happy Birthday' or 'Merry Christmas' or anything like that, and that's what really bothered me. I mean, you don't have to give me anything but at least acknowledge me, you know? So a couple of years ago, my birthday falls on the last day of a three day KaibaCorp tournament in Dallas – which I won, of course – and after I get all of my stuff out of my hotel room so I can leave I see him standing in the parking lot next to a Maserati with a huge bow on it. Of course, I'm nosy and I walk over to him and I'm like 'Whose car?' and he pulls the keys out of his pocket and says 'Yours. It's your birthday present.' I kid you not, after he said that, I dropped all of my shit and was like 'Quit fucking with me.' But he was serious. He told me that Mokuba had talked to him and said that it really wasn't fair that he was being a total asshole to a family member, so he had to prove to his brother he wasn't a dick. That's how I got my baby."

Yuugi watched Yami run his right hand over the steering wheel before placing it back on the gearshift. "This the only gift he's gotten you?"

The duelist shook his head. "Nah. He gives me birthday gifts regularly now. I just think the car was a way of him making up for all the birthdays and shit that he missed. Now I get smart watches, Dre Beats, TVs and stuff like that. But since I'm making good money it's not really anything he can get me now that I don't already have."

The smaller man rested his cheek in his palm and looked out of the window, watching the scenery fly by. "I don't know what that's like."

"What, having a lot of nice, expensive things? You make a lot of money just like I do –"

"No, not that." Yuugi sighed and shook his head. "Having a family. All I had was my grandpa."

"Your parents didn't have any other kids? Or their siblings didn't have kids?"

"I don't know. I mean, they probably had more kids with other people. They weren't married when I was born, I don't even think they were a couple. I barely remember them. My dad dipped as soon as I was born and my mom kept me for two years before just tossing me off on my grandpa. I don't think she ever really wanted me."

"So your grandfather raised you?"

"Yeah. He ran this game shop in Domino and we stayed on the second floor. It's where I got my love for duel monsters. It's also where I started my gaming career. I've been playing video games ever since I could hold a controller, and when I was in high school I told him that I wanted to be a pro gamer. He was the only person who actually supported me – I mean, Joey, Malik, and Ryou never told me that I couldn't do it or that gaming wasn't a real job but they didn't support me a thousand percent like he did. Grandpa bought me all of the latest games, he saved and bought me my first PlayStation; he was the best."

Yami glanced over at Yuugi and rose a brow. "Why do you keep referring to him in past tense?"

Yuugi's usually vibrant eyes dulled with despair. "Because a couple of years ago I was at this tournament in Las Vegas, and usually when I go to a tournament that is out of state or out of the country, Grandpa comes with me; but this time he was really busy with the shop and stuff so he couldn't go. I told him that I'd come see him as soon as the tournament was over and tell him everything that he missed, but…" The smaller man took a deep breath and cleared his throat to keep his voice from cracking. What he _wasn't_ going to do was cry in front of Yami. That just was not going to happen. "When I got off of the plane in Domino and took a cab to the game shop, it was police cars and ambulances and…and so many flashing lights and sirens. Come to find out some thugs robbed the game shop and once they took all the money…they…they…" He was _not_ going to cry. He had to suck it up. No one wants to go on a date and have to comfort a cry baby twenty minutes into it. "They shot him. Last image I can remember is the EMTs putting him in a body bag."

Yami frowned. He could tell that this recollection was very painful to Yuugi just by the way the shorter man kept pausing to regain his composure. He took his right hand off of the gear shift and found Yuugi's, interlocking their fingers before bringing their joined hands to his lips. "I'm sorry you had to go through that Aibou. I'm sorry your grandfather had to go out with senseless violence."

Yuugi blushed. With every word that Yami spoke, his lips brushed across his hand. It tickled. "It's okay. I'm trying to get past it. After it happened Joey, Ryou, and Malik all found places in LA so that I wouldn't be there alone."

"Isn't Joey the one that you said didn't have a job?"

"Yep."

"Did he have a job when he moved from Domino to LA?"

"Nope."

Wait a fucking minute. "Then how the hell did he get a place in LA? City's not cheap."

"It's still a mystery." Yuugi began laughing. "I told you, I've given up on figuring out where all his money comes from. It'll come to the light when need be, until then I've stopped asking. In fact, the only time I ever remember Joey actually having money and knowing where the hell he got it from was when I gave him money that I won from my first tournaments."

"You gave him all the money that you used to win?"

The smaller one nodded. "Yeah. I was barely sixteen when I started competing in tournaments, and they weren't as big as the ones I do now. Most I would win would be a few thousand dollars, and I didn't have a use for that much money. Sometimes I'd give it to grandpa for the shop – even though most of the time he'd tell me to keep it for myself – but other times it would go to Joey. It was so he could pay for an eye operation for his sister."

"What was wrong with his sister? And why couldn't his parents pay for her operation?"

"Joey's parents split when he was a kid. Something about how terrible a father his dad was and his mom thought Joey was too much like his old man, so she took Serenity and moved to Brooklyn. They would write and email each other, and in our junior year of high school Joey found out that she'd been diagnosed with early onset macular degeneration. It would cost an arm and a leg for her to get an operation to stop it and even more if they wanted to restore the sight that she'd already lost. I figured since I was doing tournaments and winning money that I could help him, so for a while all my winnings went to Joey until he had saved enough to pay for Serenity's operation." Yuugi then scowled. "I was happy that I could help but at the same time it pisses me off."

"Why? You don't like helping people?"

"No." Yuugi shook his head. "I love helping people, I do more good for others than I do for myself, but Joey's situation pissed me off because even after he paid for his sister's operation his mother still refused to let him even see her. She just took the money and kicked him out. Didn't even tell him thank you."

Yami grinned – not at the situation Yuugi was describing, there was nothing good about that, but at the fact that he managed to attract someone that was utterly selfless. One thing outside of his appearance that made Yuugi beautiful.

 _XxxX_

" _Nova_." Yuugi recognized the restaurant – the exterior anyway. He used to pass it all the time when he would walk home from school, but he never went in.

"You been here before?" The duelist asked as he parked the car close to the entrance and unbuckled his seatbelt.

"Nah, I've seen it before. Never really wanted to go in."

"Why not?"

Yuugi got out of the car and looked at the building before them. Bright lights, big letters, huge building. "It's too flashy."

"That's a problem?"

"Yeah. I mean, I'm sure the food here is great but I've never really been a fan of huge, flashy, show-off restaurants. I like smaller, kinda hole-in-the-wall places. They have really good food that doesn't cost too much in a place that isn't packed like sardines in a can twenty-four-seven."

"I'll give you that. Next date I'll be sure to take you –"

"Nope, I'm picking where we're going next date. You picked this one, now it's my turn."

"Fair enough. Where we going?"

The shorter man shrugged and gave Yami a stupid look. "I don't know. Can we get through this one first? We haven't even gone in the restaurant yet." And then he took the duelist's hand and led him away from the car, through the doors and….

This date just got a hell of a lot more interesting. Not in a good way either.

"Well, what do we have here." A blonde female behind the hostess stand greeted with a smirk as she picked up two dinner menus and held them close to her bosom. "Yuugi Muto. Long time, no see, no text, no phone call."

Confused, Yami tore his gaze away from their seemingly rude and intrusive hostess and looked at Yuugi. "Who the fuck is she?" He whispered, just barely loud enough for the gamer to hear.

"I'll tell you when we sit down," He whispered back, not taking his eyes off of the woman in front of him.

The hosted pushed her glasses further onto her face. "What brings you here?"

Yuugi opened his mouth to speak, but instead of his words being heard, Yami's were.

"He's on a date. With me. We're dating. We're together, we're an item, we're a couple, we're a thing, I'm _with_ him." Yami was sure to say in every possible way he could think of that he and Yuugi we're seeing each other, and he really didn't care about the attitude he had either. He almost said that he and Yuugi were getting intimate as well, just to piss her off. If two people come into a place holding hands, then it's safe to say they're dating. "Any questions?"

"Um…" The hostess stammered, looking back and forth between Yami and Yuugi before finally settling on the duelist and glaring at him with envy. Then, she forced herself to be professional and gave the two a fake smile. "Do you have a preference of where you'd like to sit?"

Again, Yuugi went to answer the question; and again, Yami was speaking for him. "As far away from you as possible, in a booth. Please."

The blonde nodded and came from behind the stand. "Right this way." And then she walked into the main dining room.

The couple followed, with Yuugi looking ripe and ready to picked from the tree. He hadn't expected to run into _her_ here, and he most certainly hadn't expected Yami to get so possessive. It was both scary and sexy at the same time to have someone so adamant about ensuring that he was theirs and only theirs. The thought sent chills down his back.

The woman stopped by a booth towards the back end of the dining room, far away from the hostess stand just like Yami had requested, and she set the two menus on opposite sides of the table. "A server will be right with you." Then she was gone.

Yami didn't miss a beat. As soon as the woman turned her back he asked, "Who the hell was she?"

Yuugi, on the other hand, waited until she was out of earshot before sitting down and saying, "My most recent ex: Hurricane Rebecca. She was a nightmare, and I was hoping that it would be a little longer before I saw her again."

The duelist sat down across from him. "What happened between you two?"

"Well…it's kind of a funny story. Rebecca and I went to high school together and she's kinda been trying to get me to date her ever since. For a long time, I ran from her; but a few months ago I…" Yuugi looked down, embarrassed. "I was at a tournament here in Domino and after winning I went to a bar and got _wasted_. Like, college-white-girl-wasted. She was there, and I guess a drunk version of myself is attracted to her, and we ended up sleeping together. Day after, I've got a hangover from hell and she's thinking that because we had sex now we're a couple. I didn't wanna be an asshole and tell her that we only fucked because I was drunk outta my mind, so I went along with dating her for a couple of weeks. She drove me completely fucking crazy and I just told her I couldn't do it anymore. Haven't spoken to her since – well, until today."

"You didn't speak, _I_ spoke."

"You know what I mean. I haven't had any direct, or indirect, contact with her until today; and hopefully after today I never will again."

Yami allowed for himself to smirk, just a little bit. "I'll make sure that doesn't happen."

And Yuugi was back to looking like an apple. That fucking smirk…

"You're so cute when you blush Aibou." The duelist reached forward to take the smaller one's hand, but Yuugi pulled away before he could. Instead of accepting the gesture, the gamer picked up his menu and held it before his face.

"What are you eating?" He asked, trying to change the subject. He knew for a fact that if Yami touched him right now – while he's trying to keep his composure over that smirk, that possessiveness, and that blatant attractiveness – his dick would probably hit the underside of the table.

"You." Yami responded, and chuckled at how Yuugi seemed to stiffen. Even though the menu was in the way, he knew for a fact that his date was wide-eyed and beyond red in the face. It was cute how simple words and gestures could make a grown man act like an adolescent girl.

Yuugi took a deep breath to regain his poise before lowering the menu just enough so that his eyes were visible. "I'm serious." He stated, although the look in his eyes said otherwise.

"So am I."

"What are you eating that's on the _menu_?"

"Oh." Yami feigned ignorance and opened his menu, setting it down in front of him. "I thought you meant what am I eating tonight in general. You should've been more specific."

"You know what the fuck I meant," Yuugi muttered, not loud enough for the duelist to hear. He feared that if the word 'fuck' went into his eardrums, Yami would say something slick and Yuugi would not be able to keep himself from crossing the table and ravishing him – _in public_.

"I don't know what I want. What are you getting?"

That was a good question. What the hell _was_ he going to eat? Maybe if he'd actually looked at the menu instead of just using it to hide his face, he'd have a good idea. He took a second to briefly scan the menu before picking his go-to meal: "I'll get a hamburger."

The duelist gave Yuugi a look that blended confusion and surprise. Then, he simply shrugged and closed his menu. "I guess I'll have the same." Then he took a second to look around. "Where's our server at? They're supposed to have…" He trailed off once he saw their intrusive hostess leading a family with two small children over to the table adjacent to them, and he could've sworn she smirked at him once they locked eyes.

Oh hell no. What Rebecca was _not_ going to do was sit those loud ass kids next to him and Yuugi and ruin their date and any sexual tension brewing between them. Yami turned his entire body to face her and gave her a glare that said, "Bitch, I hope the fuck you do."

When Rebecca turned and led the family in the opposite direction, Yami faced his date again.

"Okay, if we're gonna make it through this date without me trying to fuck you in public, I'm gonna need you to stop doing that."

Yami smirked and crossed his arms. "What are you talking about? I ain't did nothing."

"You know what I'm talking about. Stop being so…" Yuugi bit his lip, searching for the right word. "…so…possessive. You're making it to where if I need to stand up and go to the restroom, I'd have to fix myself first."

"You're saying that like it's a bad thing."

"It _is._ I don't like feeling this way when I'm around a bunch of people."

"Just because you don't like it, doesn't mean that it's a bad thing, Aibou." The duelist's smirk broadened (and he noticed how Yuugi shivered once it did) and he leaned forward, resting his arms on the table before whispering, "You know what _would_ be a bad thing? If I was to sit next to you and decided to ensure that you don't wanna stand up. I mean, I don't need two hands in order to eat." Yam slid his menu over to Yuugi's side of the table. "As a matter of fact, scoot over."

Yuugi's eyes widened and he pushed the menu back towards the duelist. "Nah, that's okay. Stay where you are."

But, of course, Yami was stubborn and stood up, taking his menu with him to sit next to the smaller man.

He tried in vain to prevent his date from sitting next to him by sitting at the absolute edge of the booth, but Yuugi wasn't very big and with one push from Yami, he was seated next to the wall; and once the duelist took his seat, Yuugi was pulled back to be by his side. Now, Yuugi wasn't one for being dominated, but the way Yami just pushed him back and forth just made this situation a whole lot worse for him.

The next few minutes consisted of the two fighting underneath the table, Yuugi using both of his hands to push away Yami's single and very persistent hand. Every time Yami's hand came close to his thigh, knee, hell he even tried approaching from Yuugi's abdomen, Yuugi would cover his crotch with one hand and use the other to keep Yami at bay.

Then their server showed up, and their antics had to stop, or at least, that's what Yuugi thought up until he was about to say what he wanted to eat and drink. Everything had been fine. Yami's hands were resting at his sides and Yuugi's rested on the table. Their server's name was Mahado, he was very nice, and the way he described their alcohol selection was fantastic; in fact, Yuugi was just about to say he wanted a glass of Hennessy on the rocks, when he felt a hand grip his clothed erection. The sudden sensation nearly made him jump out of his seat. Yami didn't even try to sneak up on him or anything, he just went straight for the prize and made the shorter one regret letting his guard down.

Yami happened to be looking at Mahado and telling him what he planned on eating and drinking, but once he got ahold of Yuugi, he could tell that the shorter one was red in the face (for, like, the millionth time that night).

In fact, Yuugi was so red, that Mahado stopped in the middle of penciling down Yami's order and asked, "Is he okay?"

Yami glanced over at Yuugi, who all of a sudden found his menu to be really interesting, and decided now would be a great time to give his date a straight-face-test. He began to massage the smaller one's crotch, making sure to press his palm against the entirety of the bulge in Yuugi's pants. "I don't know. You okay?"

Yuugi took a deep breath and cleared his throat before turning to face the two of them. "Yeah, I'm…I'm good." And then he clamped his legs shut, making it impossible for Yami to continue his activities.

"Alright, then. Are you ready to order?"

The smaller one nodded. "Yeah. I'll – ow!" Yuugi glared at Yami. The bastard pinched him. Reluctantly, he freed the duelist's hand, only to stiffen once Yami picked up right where he left off. "I'll…have the same thing he's having…"

"And to drink?"

"Uh…" Since Yami decided that playing with his dick under the table was acceptable, drinking alcohol was definitely out of the question. The last thing he needed was to have his judgement impaired and do something to embarrass both himself and the duelist next to him. "I'll…just get a glass of water."

Mahado nodded, and penciled down the order before giving the two a small smile and leaving.

Once he was gone, Yuugi was back to trying to fight off Yami's advances. It wasn't that he didn't want Yami to touch him – God knows how badly he wanted Yami to do more than just touch him – but now was not the time and here was not the place.

Yami used his free hand to take ahold of Yuugi's wrists. "C'mon Aibou, why are you fighting something that you're clearly enjoying?"

He didn't answer. He knew he liked it, but the problem was that he couldn't even fucking enjoy what was going on because the restaurant was so damn packed that if he did so much as tilt his head back it would draw unwanted attention. He was honestly surprised that their battling beneath the table had gone unnoticed.

"Now, this right here, _this_ –" the duelist began, pressing his hand harder against Yuugi's clothed length and relishing in how the smaller man noticeably shivered. "Is a bad thing. Because now, I don't think I'm satisfied with just feeling the outline of you."

If Yami stuck his hand into his boxers, Yuugi was not going to be held responsible for what happened as a result.

 _XxxX_

The ride back to LA was a quiet one, but the sexual tension was something serious. Yuugi was certain that he'd never been so hard in his life. Not only did Yami tease him throughout their entire meal and dessert courses, but the whole duration of the car ride was spent with Yami's hand resting on his thigh – dangerously close to his clothed but still throbbing cock. Any conversation that Yami attempted to make was made short by Yuugi giving quick and one worded answers. If Yami didn't know any better, he'd say that the shorter man was acting like this because he was mad at him, but he _did_ know better and he knew anger was not why Yuugi was silent.

So once he pulled his car in Yuugi's driveway, he smirked and asked, "So, what do you plan on doing to me?"

Yuugi looked over at the duelist and smirked back before getting out of the car, knowing that Yami would follow him like a lost puppy. He'd spent the last hour thinking of just how he was going to get Yami back, and now they were back at his house, there was no way he was going to just tell him. Actions spoke louder than words did anyways. So instead, he completely ignored the question and asked one of his own. "You coming in, right?"

To which Yami responded with a confused look. For starters, why the hell would he feel on the outline of Yuugi's dick for almost an hour and then take him home without intentions of going in with him? Second, what was it that Yuugi had in mind that kept him from answering the question. But, nonetheless, the duelist got out of the car and followed his date into the house.

Once they were inside, there was no tour of the floors, no compliments on the décor, and no getting comfortable. The second Yami closed and locked the door behind him, Yuugi was there, pinning him to it.

"You thought I was just gonna be cool with you deciding you were gonna spend the time at dinner feeling on my dick?" the smaller male questioned, rhetorically because once the duelist opened his mouth to answer, it was occupied by Yuugi's.

Yami most definitely wasn't ready for Yuugi to pretty much shoved his tongue down his throat. Plus, they'd just gotten in the house. Couldn't he at least give him the opportunity to take his shoes off and move away from the door? Hell, from what he could see the couch wasn't but about two feet away. This couldn't wait until they got over there? He wrenched his arms free and pushed Yuugi back, breaking their kiss. "Not that I don't wanna fuck you, but can I at least get away from the door before we start this?"

"Fuck no."

"But –"

He didn't get to finish. Yami found himself being pushed back against the door – for Yuugi to be below average height, the fucker was damn _strong_ – and held against it by the waist before being kissed again.

Yuugi didn't miss a beat; as soon as their lips connected he (reluctantly) released his hold on the man's thick waist in favor of going lower and unzipping his pants, then yanking them down to the ground along with his boxers. The second Yami had begun rubbing his cock in Domino, the smaller man vowed to fuck the hell out of him as soon as they got back to his house. And he was going to start by sucking the soul out of his dick.

"Yuugi –" Yami began once the smaller man pulled away, but rest of his words got caught up in his throat when he saw Yuugi drop to his knees and take his partially flaccid cock into his mouth. Now, normally he wasn't one to scream out during sex, but it had been so long since he felt this sensation he couldn't help the loud sound that escaped him. He bit his lip, clenched his fists, and lurched his hips forward, wanting to make sure that Yuugi was taking in all of him. It wasn't long before the duelist was fully erect and wanting more, jerking his hips forward and wanting – no, _needing_ – Yuugi move faster. And even when his aibou did speed up, Yami still couldn't keep himself still; bucking and thrusting himself into Yuugi's mouth repeatedly, lewdly enjoying the audible gags that he produced from the man on his knees in front of him. God, Yuugi's mouth was so hot and wet and fucking _awesome_ around him, and it had been so long since he'd felt a sensation anywhere close to this that he…

"Shit…"

…came a whole lot quicker than either of them had anticipated.

"Uh…I," Yami began, but Yuugi didn't wanna linger on any apologies or explanations. He simply swallowed Yami's release and stood, taking the duelist's hand and tugging him towards the couch. He gave the taller one a shove and then smirked once he landed on his back.

Normally Yuugi didn't top, but all that teasing at the restaurant left him in a desperate need for friction. He didn't give a fuck whether Yami was a bottom or not, he was going to be one tonight. Quickly, Yuugi shed his own clothing, tossing it carelessly in any direction he pleased before pulling Yami's body towards him and parting his legs.

Yami watched, still trying to catch his breath from his previous orgasm. It was darkish, the only light coming into the house radiating from a nearby streetlight; but he could clearly see Yuugi stick two of his fingers into his mouth and then reach down towards his entrance. Of course, it hurt like a bitch when the slender digits penetrated him, and of course every muscle in his body tensed; but it quickly receded into pleasure. After all, this wasn't his first rodeo.

The smaller man watched Yami change from a tough guy trying to hide his pain into a writhing, moaning, whimpering mess below him. It was incredibly sexy to observe how with each pump of his fingers, the duelist would whine and try to push his hips forward; and it was incredibly sexy to feel how Yami seemed to tighten around him each time he pulled back, as though his body didn't want him to leave. And the look Yami had on his face was absolutely priceless. In fact, had Yuugi not wanted to bring pleasure to himself as well, he would've done this until Yami coated his stomach with cum _multiple times_.

But, Yuugi wanted pleasure too.

Ignoring the whine the duelist gave in protest, Yuugi pulled his sleek digits out of the taller man and opened his hand, spitting into his palm before rubbing his own shaft. Then he positioned himself at Yami's opening, slowly sinking down until he was balls deep into the man below him. It felt _so_ good and Yami was _so_ hot and tight around him that Yuugi almost came then and there. He had to take a second to catch his breath and ensure that he wasn't just going to pound away until he or Yami couldn't move anymore, but _dammit_ it was so tempting and feeling Yami grind against him…

Fuck it. He was going to fuck Yami completely senseless. After all, it would be nice payback for his trick in Domino. Leaning down, Yuugi pressed his lips against the duelists before pulling himself out to the tip and slamming himself back into that hot, amazingly tight core. Shit, it felt so good, and he could tell by the way Yami arched his back that he was enjoying it too. So he did it again. And again. And again. Each time he repeated that action, he moved faster, until he had picked up so much speed that the kiss he and Yami were sharing was forcibly broken and they were panting in each other's faces. Shifting, Yuugi lifted one of Yami's legs up over his shoulder so that he could strike deeper, and he smirked once the duelist began to cry out, the bass in his voice gone.

He continued to strike that spot, and each sound that escaped the duelist turned him on even more. It was so sexy to see that the same man that had such a dominating presence and so much strength about him flustered and crying out in rapture below him. Yuugi quickened his pace, drawing more shouts from the duelist and from himself. He wanted so badly to cum, he fucking needed to reach his end and take Yami over the edge with him. The man was just so fucking tight, and hot and _perfect_ that he could barely control himself. "Yami…" he muttered, burying his face in the others neck as he continued to pound into him again, and again until at long last he came; his essence shooting into the duelist and then spilling out in excess.

Once Yuugi's climax ended, Yami's began. His body convulsed and he coated Yuugi's torso with splotches of white. Then it was quiet, the only sounds to be heard were the heavy pants of the couple on the couch. They stayed like that for a while, sweaty, sticky, and tired. In fact, Yuugi had almost drifted off to sleep on the duelist's chest when Yami sat up.

"I almost forgot," he began, getting his pants from the floor where he'd kicked them off, along with his shoes. "I meant to give you these at dinner, but I got distracted." And he dug in his back pocket before pulling out a pair of slightly wrinkled tickets accompanied with two VIP passes.

Yuugi took the items and attempted to toss them onto his coffee table, and then he scowled once they fell to the floor. "I'll get them in the morning," he muttered before pillowing his head back onto the other.

Yami gave a relaxed sigh. It would be too much of a hassle to get Yuugi off of him and get dressed. Besides, staying here for the night wouldn't hurt anyone.

 _ **A/N: I woulda uploaded this chapter two days ago, but my ex decided to try and weasel his way back into my life, so I had to deal with that problem. Next chapter is tourney time and we get into some of the other shippings in this story. Thanks for reading.**_


	5. I Swear Everything Will Be Just Fine

_**A/N: Disclaimer: "Oui" was written by Jeremih and appears on "Late Nights: The Album", a Def Jam Recordings production. Said album was released on December 10**_ _ **th**_ _ **, 2015 and said song was released on October 30**_ _ **th**_ _ **, 2015.**_

 _ **I do not own YuGiOh. This much should be obvious.**_

 _ **Okay guys, I lied just a little bit in the A/N of last chapter. This chapter's not the whole tournament. It's actually right before; next chapter will be longer and actually have some duels in it. Maybe.**_

 _Chapter Five: …I Swear That Everything Will Be Just Fine…_

The good thing about Yami providing Yuugi and Joey with tickets and VIP passes was exactly that. The tickets were amazing, floor seats, and with the passes, the two friends could go see Yami before or after the tournament. The bad thing about this, however, was that Yami had gotten him the last two floor seats and the last VIP passes, meaning that the rest of his friends would have to sit away from them and could not tag along when went to go see him. Now, he was on a plane surrounded by five people who were bombarding him with questions from how his date was to why they weren't in first class to why they had to get different tournament tickets – and the main person asking the was the same asshole he didn't want to go in the first place.

Yuugi sighed. He really wasn't trying to be interrogated for three hours straight. And on top of being constantly asked about his personal life and finances, Joey wouldn't stop asking about Kaiba. As if Yuugi really knew for a fact that they would meet the man.

"Dear God, we haven't even got off the fucking ground yet…" The smaller man muttered before turning to face Joey, who was in the seat next to him. "Joey, I honestly don't know if you'll meet Kaiba or not. Yami did the best he could by getting us floor seats and VIP passes to his…I guess room behind the scenes. I assume that with Kaiba being his cousin, he might come see him."

"I hope he does." Joey stuck his hand into his right front pocket, gripping the folded up ticket and pass. "I took off work for this…"

Before Yuugi could get his mouth open to ask just when the fuck Joey got a job, Malik snickered and asked, "How the hell do you take time off from a job you don't even fucking have?"

"Hey, I got a job. I can't say the same for you, though."

"At least I admit that I'm not employed. You swear up and down that you work somewhere, but _where_? I went to pick you up from 'work' one time and you were just standing in front of this big brick building. It didn't have any windows, no lettering on it, no doors – hell, I don't even think you came outta there."

Joey gave Malik a small smile. "I transferred. Don't work in that building anymore."

The two men sitting next to him gave their own individual smiles before Yuugi said, "Finally, we're getting somewhere. Where'd you transfer to?"

"The big black building across the street."

And those smiles faded. They were back to square one. "Anyway," The smaller man began, resting his head in his hands. "I don't know for sure if you'll meet Kaiba or not. Besides, I wouldn't even be thinking about meeting that guy. I'd just be happy that I'm going to a tournament in another country for free."

"You get what you pay for."

Yuugi sat up in his seat and leaned forward to look across the aisle. He knew Joey wouldn't say anything like that. Joey was cheerful if you got him a Happy Meal from McDonalds, no way in hell he'd complain about a free trip to another country. No, this sounded like the complaint of someone else. Someone that had been complaining from the second he got his ticket – that he didn't have to pay for.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'd say you've been running your mouth since before you got on the plane," He said to Bakura, who was sitting in the row across from him in between Marik and Ryou.

"I have a reason to."

"The hell you do. I didn't even wanna buy your ass a ticket, but I did. When we get to Vancouver, you're staying in a hotel room that's not gonna cost _you_ any money. And you have the right to complain for what reason, exactly? Because you're not sitting up in first class with the stupid rich and unbelievably famous? If this isn't good enough for you, you sit in the fucking cargo hold with the luggage and pets. You belong there anyway, Jackass."

Bakura didn't say anything for a second. Then, "I should probably get you a booster seat when I go back there, huh?"

Yuugi stood, aiming to cross the aisle and snap Bakura's neck, but Malik and Joey quickly intervened, Joey pushing the smaller man back into his seat and Malik changing the subject.

"So, Yuugi, where'd you get the shirt?"

Yuugi opened his mouth to respond, but Bakura was already answering for him.

"Baby Gap."

"Keep fucking with me and I'm gonna push your real evil looking ass out the window at fifteen thousand feet."

Bakura appeared to be taken aback by the smaller one's threat and he looked in Ryou's direction for defense. This was typical. Whenever he started any kind of spat with Yuugi and the smaller one retaliated via threat, he would always turn to Ryou and play the victim. "You just gonna let him threaten my life like that?"

But Ryou was _not_ about to play referee for the next three hours. "Yes, I am. Stop being a dick and maybe he won't threaten you."

"You're taking his side?"

"Yeah. Yuugi didn't have to pay for your plane ticket, but he did. It shouldn't matter where you're sitting. Instead of thanking him, though, you opt to talk shit. So you tell me, who's really wrong in this situation?"

Bakura sucked his teeth and turned away from his boyfriend. "You make me so sick."

"Then take your sick ass to the hospital."

Snickers came from across the aisle as Yuugi, Malik and Joey found humor in the conversation between Ryou and his asshole of a boyfriend. Marik on the other hand, who just happened to be sitting next to the couple felt like he was third-wheeling. He loved seeing couples argue as much as the next guy – because ninety percent of the time it was funny – but literally sitting right next to them…

It was very uncomfortable, to say the least. And Marik's discomfort didn't go unnoticed.

In fact, once the three friends on the other side of the aisle began to laugh, Bakura turned their way, and he noticed the blonde man next to him shifting in discomfort and doing his best not to look at him. "Why are you acting weird?" He snapped.

Marik sighed and leaned his head back against his seat. "I'm not, I'm just siting here."

"You gotta sit like that?"

"Like what?"

"Like you uncomfortable or you don't wanna sit there."

"I'm not…" Marik began, and then sighed once more, running his hand over his face before shifting, slumping down into his chair. "I'm not sitting any kind of way. I'm just here. With my ass in a seat. On a plane. Headed to Vancouver. Courtesy of Yuugi."

Bakura almost made a slick comment about the last part of Marik's explanation, but chose not to.

"Anyway," Malik started, bringing the focus back to his earlier question. "Where'd you get the shirt, Yuugi?"

"Yami. It's like a…" Yuugi paused, trying to come up with the right word. "…prototype for fan merchandise. He basically had this shirt made and wanted me to wear it to the tournament to see what kind of attention it would draw. If people like it, then he'll have a lot made and put on his website for sale. If not, he won't make anymore."

Said shirt was a black sleeveless tee with a golden eye of Ra front and center and written in cursive gold letters above it was the word "Pharaoh". On the back, the design was more jersey-style with Yami's name written between the shoulders in gold and a hashtag that read "#iWmW" in the middle.

Yuugi stood and turned around so that the back of the shirt was visible to his friends.

"What's that hashtag on the back mean, Yug'?"

"It's an acronym Yami made up. It stands for I Win My Way." Yuugi then scratched the back of his head and looked up towards the ceiling of the plane. "He explained the whole thing to me when through text when I got the shirt in the mail yesterday. Forgot most of it though. I think the main reason he made the hashtag was something about how the media accuses him of cheating because he beats his opponents in ten turns or less, but I'm not completely sure."

"Why not just pull up the conversation and show us?"

The smaller man hesitated for a second before shaking his head and sitting down. "Nah, I'll just ask him when we get there." His friends were the type to be unbelievably intrusive and scroll through his text conversations with the duelist, which would result in them stumbling across dirty messages; hell he didn't even want to pull out his phone and read the conversation of the shirt aloud because he wouldn't put it past Joey or Malik – especially Malik – to snatch his phone and violate his privacy. Save himself the embarrassment, endless jokes, and smug looks. For now, anyway.

XxXx

It was _too_ many people in line wanting to see Yami before the tournament began, and Yuugi wasn't trying to spend thirty minutes to an hour waiting his turn, only to see the duelist for roughly about ten. He almost turned around and told Joey that they would just wait until after the first day of the tournament to use their passes, but if he did that it would elicit more questions about whether or not Joey would see Kaiba. Not like he had been asking Yuugi for the entire duration of the flight, or the Uber ride to their hotel, or the Uber ride to BC Place, or before they even got through the fucking gates.

"With this long ass line of people, I'll never get to see Kaiba. Do something Yug'."

Yuugi looked up at his friend, staring at him like he'd just spoken in a foreign language. "Two questions: One, what the hell am I gonna do about all these damn people? Two, why the hell do you wanna see this man so badly? You trying to suck his dick or something? Shit. I told you, you might see him, you might not; and he's an asshole anyway. The second you say something to him, he's probably gonna insult you and then leave."

"Whatever," Joey huffed and folded his arms. "He's not gonna do any shit like that. And I don't know how you can get rid of all these people. Think on ya feet or something, you're good at that type of stuff."

The smaller man sighed. It was at least twenty people in line in front of them, there was no way that they would all fall for the old "Hey, such-and-such is over here!" trick. But maybe a small twist on it could fool enough of them to where himself and Joey would be able to slip by unnoticed. He shed his North Face fleece and tossed it to his friend before approaching the line towards the middle and grabbing both sides of his collar to show off the shirt Yami had given him. "Hey!"

This drew their attention.

"You guys want a shirt like this? Maybe get Pharaoh to sign it?" He then pointed down the hallway. "They're that way. It's a stand down there with a bunch of them on it."

And the line turned into a small stampede, heading in the direction that Yuugi had pointed.

Yuugi began to walk towards Yami's door, pushing Joey along with him. "Let's go, before they realize I was lying."

But Joey froze up. "Wait, what _if_ I see Kaiba? I don't even know what I'm gonna say."

"Maybe instead of asking me fifty million times whether you'd see him or not, you should've been thinking of what you were gonna say to him. Now will you go?" Yuugi pushed him again.

"Hold on for a sec. Help me figure out what I'm gonna say."

"I really don't care what you say. Now will you please go?"

"So ya not gonna help me?"

"Look, just say hello to him and stop acting like a nervous fanboy."

"Man," Joey sucked his teeth. "That's no help."

To which Yuugi responded by ceasing his pushing and walking around him, heading towards the door. "Stay out here, then." And then he showed the security guard his pass.

Instead of Yuugi being greeted with a "hello" or some other type of friendly address once he was let into the room, he heard, "Where's your friend at?"

"Damn, I don't get a hello or anything?"

Yami rolled his eyes and rose from his seat, walking over to the smaller man and embracing him in a hug, smirking at how Yuugi stiffened when he grabbed his ass. "Hello Aibou. I was asking where your friend was because…" He trailed off, giving Yuugi's behind another squeeze before letting him go and gesturing to the man on the other side of the room. "…If I recall correctly you said he was a big fan of Kaiba. So, when he dropped by a few minutes ago, I convinced him to stay for a little while. He's not doing anything important anyway."

"I have a tournament to coordinate."

Yami looked back at his cousin and shook his head before facing Yuugi again. "Like I said, he's not doing anything important."

"He's outside. Hold on." The shorter man walked over to the door and opened it just enough to stick his head out. "Joey! Will you come on?"

"Is he in there?"

"Yes, now will you bring your ass? He's a busy man."

"But I still don't know what I wanna say."

Yuugi rolled his eyes and exited the room, heading over to his friend and grabbing ahold of his wrist. "If you keep fucking around out here you won't be able to say anything to him. Now _come on_." And he gave a firm tug.

As he expected, Joey was absolutely silent when he entered the room, barely leaving the doorway. He just, sort of, stared at him. Which was very reasonable. Meeting someone as rich and well-known as Kaiba for the first time could leave you thunderstruck and gawking. However, neither Yuugi nor Yami expected for Seto to be doing the exact same thing Joey was doing. What reason did he have to stare? Joey wasn't famous. Hell, the bastard didn't even have a job.

The duelist gestured for Yuugi to make his way over to him, pulling the smaller one into his lap once he was close enough. "I'm not the only one seeing this, right?" He whispered, referring to the men in front of them, while at the same time snaking one arm around the gamer's waist and using his free one to go for his crotch.

But Yuugi put that to a stop quick. "You are not about to do that shit again," he whispered back, taking Yami's hand into his own and stopping his advances. "And no, you're not the only one seeing this. Are they, like, communicating telepathically or something?"

Yami sucked his teeth. "You're no fun Aibou." He shifted, leaning forward to rest his chin on Yuugi's shoulder. "Should we say something to them?"

"I don't know. I kinda want to, but at the same time I kinda wanna see how long they're gonna do this."

Their whispers didn't go unnoticed. Both Seto and Joey heard them, but neither one of them wanted to take their eyes off of one another to address the couple in the room for a multitude of reasons; the main one being that they were attracted to one another.

Joey would never admit it to his friends, but his reason for wanting to actually meet Seto so bad was mostly due to the fact that he had a crush on him. Seeing him in real life versus photos on google was just…different. For starters, the man was a lot taller than any picture made him out to be. Wikipedia's biography on him said that he was six foot five inches, but that had to have been a lie, because that's how tall Joey was and even though Seto was on the other side of the room he could tell that the man towered over him. Second, it was just a little…awkward for Kaiba to actually be looking at him. There are always instances where someone can look at a picture and it give the illusion that they are locking eyes with them, but for it to actually be happening made Joey even more nervous than he already was. The blonde was certain that his face was putting anything with a natural red color to shame, but as badly as he wanted to look away and hide his face, he just couldn't. There was something about that icy, yet intrigued gaze that just froze him. He couldn't even open his mouth to fucking say hello, and if he did get his mouth open, he was certain that no sound would come out.

Right up until the man cleared his throat and said, "You remind me of a puppy."

Then, all signs that he was star struck disappeared, and anger replaced them. His blush, gone. The wide-eyed stare he had, gone. The uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach, gone. The same man that he flew all the way to Vancouver to see had just called him a dog, or at least that's the way Joey was taking it. He wasn't the type to try and get clarification if he heard something he thought to be offensive. To him, there was no such thing as "excuse me" or 'I'm sorry" or "I beg your pardon". Joey's hands tightened into fists. "Fuck you! Where the hell do ya get off callin' me a damn dog, huh? Asshole." And then he stormed out, leaving the three of them gaping.

Well, at least Joey had figured out what he was going to say…

Seto looked over at the couple, appearing to be both genuinely confused by Joey's behavior and irritated from the insult that he threw his way. "What did I say?"

"You called him a dog, what do you mean? You can't just call someone a canine and expect them to be okay with it, what is wrong with you?" Yami answered, moving Yuugi off of his lap so that he could stand and walk over to his cousin.

"I didn't address him as a dog. I merely said that he reminded me of a puppy."

"Okay," Yuugi began, crossing his arms as he sat back in Yami's chair, "so if I say that you remind me of a bitch, I'm not calling you a bitch. I'm just saying that you remind me of one. Are you still going to get mad?"

"Of course I am; but 'bitch' is an offensive term. Puppy is in no way offensive."

"Yes it is. The only ones who would probably think otherwise would be an actual fucking dog. How the hell does he remind you of a puppy anyway?"

Seto bore an amused expression. "He has puppy-like eyes. They're cute."

"Wait," the duelist said, leaning against one of the walls and pinching the bridge of his nose. "You called him a puppy because you think he's cute?"

Seto nodded.

"Why the hell didn't you just say that he was cute? We could've avoided all of this if you had just said that instead of trying to be poetic and calling him a dog."

"I expected him to understand the comparison and not get offended."

Yuugi opened his mouth to question just who the hell would understand why they're being compared to a dog and not get offended, but shook his head and decided against it. "I'm gonna go talk to him and try to explain this, but I think you fucked up Kaiba. I have a feeling that he liked you right up until about two minutes ago."

 _XxXx_

While Yuugi and Joey took advantage of their opportunity to see the duelist before the tournament began, the others made their way into the stadium-turned-duel arena to find their seats, which weren't actually bad. They were a far cry from sitting all the way up front, but they weren't that bad. Lower level, in the middle, and they were all sitting together. In all honesty, there was really nothing to complain about; but of course…

"How come we aren't sitting up front with your friend?"

Jesus, they _just_ sat down…

"Because," Ryou began as he took his seat next to Bakura. "Yami got Yuugi and Joey the last seats up front. It was a last-minute thing, I already told you this."

"But there are a bunch of empty seats up –"

"Those seats have already been paid for, and whoever has them hasn't gotten here yet. We _are_ early; the first duel isn't for another half hour."

"If they don't show up can we –"

" _No_ ," Ryou rolled his eyes and slumped down in his chair. "We are not stealing other people's seats. What happens if they arrive late and see us in their seats?" He couldn't believe Bakura was actually thinking about taking other people's seats, but at the same time he knew that he couldn't put it past him. It _was_ right up his alley, after all.

"But what if they don't –"

"Will you just let it go?" This time the interruption came from Malik, who was sitting in between Ryou and Marik. "I mean, come on. You're here, with a decent seat. The view is not that bad, and if you can't see all that well you can always look up at the Jumbo Tron to see what's going on. Seriously, do you complain about every –" He stopped and turned his attention to the device vibrating in his front pocket, getting it out his phone and swiping to the right. He barely even got a greeting out before a loud feminine voice broke through and pierced his ears, causing him to hold the phone away for a second and turn the in-call volume down.

When he did put the phone back to his ear, he took a deep breath and calmly asked, "Why are you yelling?" An eye roll, followed by another calm, "Why are you yelling?" This time, when his question went unanswered, Malik's voice took on a stern tone. " _Why are you yelling?_ "

This time, he got a response. And, of course, to that response he rolled his eyes. "Isis, I'm not even – no, I'm – when have I ever done anything illegal? And if I have – okay, but that was a long time ago – I'm in another country, I'm not that stupid – I don't act different when I'm around him – that was _one_ time – his probation period ended a week ago – I _do_ behave when I'm around him – he's not cra – well actually, yeah he is, but – we are literally sitting in the stadium, not doing anything – even if we were to try anything illegal, Ryou would try to stop us and Yuugi and Joey would kill us – no! Why would we do that in public? – I'm not yelling at you, I just wanna know why you thought that was a legitimate question to ask – Isis, I – hello?"

Malik pulled his phone away from his ear and locked it before giving an irritated sigh and putting it back in his pocket.

"Your Sister-Mama yelling at you again?" Marik asked with a chuckle. He knew his significant other's sister wasn't fond of him. Hell, he could say that Isis flat out didn't like him; and she had good reason to. When Marik wasn't groping and attempting to molest her brother in front of her, he was convincing Malik to go out and cause trouble, and while he made sure that Malik never got caught he could tell that Isis didn't like it. But a fuck was something that he did not give.

"Man –" Malik sucked his teeth. "She thinks that you're a bad influence on me and that you're gonna do something that'll have me end up in trouble in another country. Apparently I act different around you."

"You do," Ryou chimed as he leaned against Bakura, who loosely wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "Any time Marik's around you get edgy."

"What the hell are you talking about?" The tanned male crossed his arms over his chest and offered a proud smirk. "I've always been edgy."

"Yeah, but not so much as you are now. Every time I turn around Isis is yelling at you for something stupid."

Malik scoffed and shot Ryou a condescending glare. " _You_ have absolutely no room to talk. You're dating a thief – oh yeah, Marik told me about him."

"Okay, but I don't go out and steal with him. That's the difference between my relationship and yours; if he does something illegal, I'm not out doing it with him and if he gets caught he knows better than to call me because I will hang up on him. How many times has Marik called you and asked you to bail him out – back when you had a job?"

"Too fucking many," Malik muttered before laughing at the shocked expression his boyfriend sent his way. "But that's not the point. I'm sure once you two have time invested you'll start to pick up some of his habits; whether it be picking locks or –"

Bakura cut him off with a smirk as he toyed with a lock of Ryou's hair, "I already taught him how to do that. He learned fast."

And while Ryou shot Bakura a glare mixed with malice and shock, Malik's eyes widened and he rested his cheek in his palm. "Well isn't this the munchkin calling the midget short: you're doing the same shit I'm doing!"

"Okay, so maybe he did teach me how to pick a lock, but it's not like I've actually done it or anything. My point it –"

Malik shook his head and held up a finger, indicating for Ryou to stop talking. "No, you don't even have a point anymore. Whatever point you did have is now nullified due to the fact that you weren't telling the complete truth. Did he teach you that too?"

Malik got two answers:

"No."

"Yes."

And Ryou sat up to look over at Bakura, who still bore the same smug smirk when he revealed that Ryou knew how to pick locks. "Oh, now you want to be honest?"

"Well, yeah since you decided that you were gonna lie. How the hell are we both going to be in the relationship lying? _I'm_ supposed to lie and _you're_ supposed to get mad. Now that you wanna switch roles, I have to be the honest one."

Malik and Marik watched the white haired couple argue. They weren't loud enough to attract attention, but it was still entertaining nonetheless. At one point during their spectating, Marik reached in between Malik's legs in an attempt to grope the younger boy's crotch, but Malik caught on quickly and pinched the top of the other's hand, smirking when he withdrew with a hiss.

"We're in public," he chided.

To which Marik responded with a pout and mumbled, "You ain't no fun."

 _XxXx_

"Seto said –"

"Fuck him," Joey interrupted as he slumped down in his seat, not paying attention to the duel that just started in front of them. As far as he was concerned, if Kaiba wanted to demean him by calling him a dog, he could do it behind his back. He still couldn't believe that the same person he'd been itching to meet since he found out that his friend's boyfriend was related to him had insulted him. Dude didn't even say hello or anything.

Yuugi sighed. "Kaiba thinks –"

"I don't give a fuck what he thinks." And Joey didn't. He didn't give a damn that he was irrationally impatient about an hour ago or how he had Yuugi trick many people into leaving Yami's dressing room just so they could see the duelist and his cousin.

"Interrupt me one more time and we're fighting."

The blonde rolled his eyes at the empty threat. "Whatever."

"Like I'd been trying to say, the man is attracted to you."

Maybe Joey did give a fuck about what Seto thought. "What?"

"He was speaking metaphorically when he called you a puppy. He said that you have puppy-like eyes, which he finds cute. Personally, I think his word choice was poor but in his mind saying that you reminded him of a puppy was a compliment."

The blonde folded his arms over his chest and glanced up at the stadium's big screen just in time to see who won the opening duel. "He still pissed me off."

"He didn't mean to."

"Well maybe he oughtta tell me this for himself. 'Til then, it's still fuck him. I don't give a rat's ass if he likes me or not."

"Will you watch your mouth?" The smaller man asked as he glanced around to make sure that there were no children around them. Yuugi might act a fool around his friends, but he made it a point that he and his friends behaved themselves in public. Bad publicity wasn't good, and social media could be relentless at times. "This _is_ a family event."

"It's not like these are words that they haven't heard before." Joey shrugged.

"Fine. If security throws you out, that's on you." He muttered before his phone vibrated. Normally, whenever he was at some kind entertaining event, he made a habit not to be on his phone; it took away from the experience. But every now and then he did check it, and he couldn't help the small smile that snuck onto his face as he unlocked his phone and read the text message that Yami a had sent him. For a moment, his gaze alternated between his phone and his friend, and then his smile turned into a smirk. "So Joey, you really don't care that Seto likes you and he didn't mean to insult you?"

"Don't care at all."

"Not even a little bit?"

"Nope. I won't give a shit about what he meant or how he feels until he apologizes to me out of his own mouth, not through other people's."

Yuugi nodded and took another look at the message Yami sent him. Then, after a moment, he said, "Yami sent me Seto's number."

All of Joey's previous slandering of Yami's cousin went out of the window once he heard what his friend said. No sooner than the word "number" escaped Yuugi's lips did Joey snatch away the iPhone and read the message for himself, and then he pulled out his phone to enter the new number.

"You could have just asked me to read it off instead of snatching my phone, you asshole." Yuugi quipped when Joey handed him his phone back. "Besides, I thought you didn't care about what Kaiba had to say or how he felt?"

"I don't."

"Right. So that's why you stole my phone and put his number into yours?" Yuugi shook his head and sighed. "You're a trip, you know that? Why don't you stop being stubborn and admit that you like Kaiba?"

"This is coming from the same person that denied they had a crush on the King of Games. Now, not only are ya datin' him, You're sitting front row at his tournament and you've fucked him. This is the pot callin' the kettle black."

"I told Ryou that when he and I met up for lunch last week. Where the hell were you hiding?"

This time it was Joey's turn to smirk. "Ya butt-dialed me."

The smaller man closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Whatever you do, don't tell Malik." Even though he was fairly certain that Malik has a hunch that he and Yami were intimate before, but he knew that if his friend knew for certain, he'd never live it down. Hell, Malik was still getting on him about _dating_ the man. If he knew that they had sex…Yuugi would probably have to kill him just to shut him up. "And so what if I did the same thing with Yami that you're doing with Kaiba? I can still advise you not to be stubborn and _go get that._ What are the odds that you're gonna find another man that's one) taller than you, two) has money out the ass and three) isn't two and a half times your age? Along with the fact that he has enough money to potentially fill that bottomless pit you call a stomach if he ever took you out to eat."

"You don't even know if I like him or not."

"You're right. You only asked me if you would meet him about a hundred thousand times since I told you that Yami had gotten us tickets to come here. Who in their right mind would think that you were even remotely interested in him?" The smaller man asked cynically as he text the duelist back, deciding that it wouldn't hurt to be a little playful with him. Yami didn't duel until tomorrow; the first day of the tournament he would spectate from one of the press boxes and apply what he'd learned about his potential opponent in the final duel.

"Whatever Yug'. You can think what you wanna, but I'm telling you that I don't like him." It almost sounded convincing, and it probably would have sold had Joey not immediately unlocked his phone to text the number that he just added to his contacts.

 _ **A/N: This is a little snippet from a story that I'm gonna kick off at the start of the new year. January 1**_ _ **st**_ _ **, 2017 at 12:00 AM USA East Coast Time, the first chapter of this story will be uploaded. Set your watches. I also have a Christmas fic that I'll be uploading at 12 AM Christmas Day, so be on the lookout for that too.**_

It didn't take a genius to figure out that Yami wasn't a fan of water. Having grown up in Egypt – and while the Nile was a rather large body of water – he had no need to learn how to swim or even bother to familiarize himself with the sensation of the compound on his skin. The only time he was comfortable with water was when he showered, but now that he was on a boat setting off to find an island in the middle of the ocean…granted it was to rescue Yuugi's grandfather, Malik's sister, Joey's sister, and Seto's brother, but still…

"You know, contrary to popular belief, looking over the side and into the water actually induces seasickness instead of preventing it."

Yami turned around to see Yuugi standing behind him with a small smile and he forgot about the turning in his stomach for a quick second. "I can't help it. Water just feels so unnatural to me. Even if there are buoys and life jackets and life boats, I still get uncomfortable. All the constant moving that it does and how much is accumulated into one space is…it gives me anxiety."

"I'm sorry you feel that way. I wish I could offer some kind of empathy towards you, but…" Yuugi shrugged and shifted his gaze from his other half to the body of water behind him. "…I have no fear of the ocean. I think large bodies of water are amazing. You know how much life is in the ocean? Evolutionists say that life originated in the ocean."

"Evolution can kiss my ass," Yami muttered, casting another glance at the water. "Humans didn't originate in water."

"Amniotic fluid is mostly water. You spend nine months in it."

"Did you come over here to make me feel better or worse?" Yami tried to appear irritated, but he couldn't help the grin that spread across his face. It didn't matter what Yuugi did, Yami couldn't find a way to be mad at him.

Yuugi allowed himself to smirk – just a little bit – before he took the older boy's hand and said, "Actually I came over here to invite you to let me take your mind off of the ocean."

"That'll definitely make me feel better." And Yami allowed for his light to pull him down beneath the deck and into one of the unoccupied rooms, where he was pressed against the door as soon as it was shut.

Any type of intimate activity – whether it be kissing, intercourse, or just plain cuddling – had a tendency to send their bond into overdrive. For a short period of time, everything between them would be magnified physically as well as mentally. Touches felt hot, like fore, even through clothing. Kisses set of sparks that popped in the pits of their stomachs. Skin on skin contact seemed to burn, though it was a sensation that they both enjoyed. And sex, well that was like someone had doused them in kerosene and then took a match to them. It seemed to burn the presence of the other into their minds, setting a constant reminder that they belonged to each other and there wasn't anything they could do about it.

Not that the wanted to anyways. One month into this whole yami-hikari-bond thing and they were seemingly addicted to each other.

Yuugi was doing a good job at distracting his darker half. He doubted he'd be able to keep this up for the duration of the trip, but for right now it was nice not to have Yami's stress and anxiety seep through their bond and worry him…right up until the older boy pulled away and got a look in his eyes that would've been described as panic on anyone else.

"What is it?"

It was a few moments before Yami responded, and when he did, the tome of his voice sent chills down Yuugi's spine. "Something doesn't feel right."

Confused, the smaller man took a step away from the other and tilted his head slightly. "What do you mean?"

"It feels…eerily chilly. Not the natural chill from being on the water, but a…vicious type of chill."

Now that he thought about it, Yami was right. There was an unnatural drop in the temperature around them, and since they were inside there was no way that the cool air from outside was what they were feeling. The sunlight pouring in from the window also seemed to dim slightly as well. It was rather strange, and it made Yuugi feel like he was the main protagonist in a horror movie.

A few moments of silent observation passed before the smaller male suggested, "Should we go see if the others noticed this too?"

Before Yami could answer, the sound of steel caving in could be heard above them and then the ship tipped backward dangerously, causing the two to fall back against one of the walls in the room; and then it returned to its normal position all too quickly and made them stumble forward with Yuugi nearly falling face-first onto the ground, the only thing stopping him was Yami's grip on his arm.

"Are you alright Aibou?" The taller boy asked as he pulled Yugi back up to a balanced standing position, but still held onto him just in case the ship jerked back again.

"Yeah…I think so." The impact from him sliding uncontrollably backward from about ten feet at an increasing velocity did a number on his back and shoulder blades, but as far as he could tell he could move them and nothing felt broken. His concern wasn't his own state of health, however. He was more worried about his friends and their yamis; the angle that the ship tilted was very steep and it's a possibility that one or more of them could have fallen overboard. "I think we should go back up and see if everyone is alright, and see what made the boat move like that."

He took Yami's hand and made his way back across the room, out of the door, and back up to the main deck. Immediately he saw Bakura sitting on the ground with his right arm firmly wrapped around Ryou – who was in a position between lying on his stomach and kneeling – and the two of them holding their heads, giving out their own individual winces of pain.

"You go check and see if everyone else is okay. I'm gonna see what happened to these two," And then he let go of his darker half's hand in favor of going to the yami and hikari of the Millennium Ring, kneeling down before the two. "What happened?"

"I was trying to save him and he's just gonna headbutt me," Bakura said, letting go of his thinner look-alike and slowly rising to his feet.

"That is not what happened," Ryou quipped, reaching forward so that someone could help him up. Yuugi did so, but just as soon as Ryou stood, he swayed and nearly fell over. Black dots danced across his vision, the dimmed sunlight bathing the ship seemed way too bright, and his head throbbed something serious. "Something made the ship tilt backwards, I began to fall back, I had no clue he was behind me and by the time he caught me I had built up a bit of momentum from the free fall, and when our bodies collided my head hit his."

"His body went limp once I caught him," The thief said, vividly remembering how after the impact Ryou seemed to imitate a rag doll and his eyes closed. Though he didn't care too much for the boy, he didn't like seeing the other half of his soul brush unconsciousness like that.

Gently pushing Ryou back to where he leaned his back against Bakura, Yuugi held up a single finger and moved it back and forth in front of his friend's eyes, taking note that Ryou's gaze seemed to be stilled and not following his movements. The boy was clearly dazed. "How do you feel?"

The white haired boy sighed. "I have a bad headache I think originated in the back of my head, I'm a little dizzy, and I feel like I'm looking directly at the sun." He shook his head – slowly, as though he was trying to clear out some of the wooziness. "I'm pretty sure I have a concussion. I can't even stand up straight." In saying this, he willed himself off of Bakura and attempted to stand on his own two feet, but nearly fell forward and was only stopped by his yami and Yuugi each stopping his momentum and pushing him down into a seated position.

"You should probably sit down for a minute or two. At least until you can stand with confidence." Yuugi looked over at Bakura. "Stay with him in case he gets worse or throws up or something."

On the outside, Bakura huffed and took a seat on the ground next to his light, but something deep on the inside made him want to question just why Yuugi thought he'd actually leave the other boy injured an alone.

With a nod, Yuugi turned and made his way around a corner, aiming to go find Yami; but what was at the stern caused him to freeze dead in his tracks and pale significantly. Sticking out of the front of the ship was a very real version of Daedelus, The Ocean Dragon Lord.

It swayed back and forth for a minute, its two heads surveying the ship before opening both of its mouths and giving a deafening roar.

 _ **A/N: Reviews are appreciated.**_


	6. I Wish That We Could Take Some Time

_**A/N: I have no idea when the next update will be. And while I was writing this chapter, it was originally well over ten thousand words until my laptop crashed and Word wanted to act like autorecover wasn't in its vocaubulary. Needless to say, I rewrote everything after I had stayed up all night with my friends writing this. I'm beyond tight, but I hope you can still enjoy. Below there are two playlists that I created for the purposes of this chapter. I titled them trip, because if you listen to everything with an open mind, the moods of every song have the ability to take you to a new place. If you choose to listen, just make sure you remove the spaces. I listened to both, and the journey is amazing.**_

 _ **Yuugi's Music: : (double backslash) o p e n. y.c o m (backslash) (backslash) x.x x v. (backslash) (backslash) ? s i = g**_

 _ **Ryou's Music: : (double backslash) o p e n. y.c o m (backslash) (backslash) x.x x v. (backslash) (backslash) ? s i = O h Y - Q**_

 _Chapter Six: I Wish That We Could Take Some Time (Part One)_

Yuugi knew it was a reason why he didn't own a dog, and it wasn't because he didn't like animals.

He watched with a mixture of anger and disgust as Bene chewed away at his favorite designer belt, and then his expression changed to disbelief when the pit looked up at him and wagged his tail. "Really?" He muttered, pulling up his loose and slightly sagging pants as far as they would go before stalking over to the pet and attempting to snatch his belt away; but before he could get a hand on one of the drier parts, Bene picked up the belt by the buckle and fled to the opposite corner of the room, walking past his owner as he did so.

"He wants to play," the older male stated as he watched his dog take a seat and begin gnawing at the Gucci logo in the center of the belt.

"Yeah, and I want to be a billionaire, but we can't always have what we want." Yuugi followed the dog across the room and took ahold of the belt, attempting to yank it away from Bene. "Come on dog, this is the only belt that I brought, and I'm really not trying to pull my pants up every fifteen minutes."

Yami watched with mild amusement as his boyfriend and his dog entered a tug of war, with Bene backing away and Yuugi using all of his strength to pull the accessory away. Veins began to pop up along his forearms and biceps and he began to turn red from the strain of trying to snatch his belt away to no avail, a sight that Yami found slightly attractive and funny.

After a ten-minute stalemate, Yuugi reluctantly let and began to massage his now sore arms. Trying to get that belt away was like trying to pull a brick out of an already finished wall. Whatever it was about that accessory, Bene wasn't letting go. "Dog strong as shit. What are you feeding his ass?"

"He usually eats whatever I eat, and I try to eat well." Yami took a few steps over to his dog and pointed at the ground, to which Bene responded by lying down: and then the duelist retrieved the belt, although at this point it was more like a golden Gucci logo surrounded by a bunch of soaked, torn up string.

"You owe me a belt."

"The same belt that could've stayed in your pants, that really didn't have to come off?"

Yuugi scoffed and folded his arms over his chest. "How was I supposed to get my pants off?"

"You do know that you can unbuckle it and the pants come off just the same." Yami smirked.

"It's not funny. That was the only belt that I brought, and now I have no way of holding my pants up, and I'm not into that stupid sagging shit."

"I mean, you could always use a piece of string." Yami thought his answer was comical, but Yuugi found it to be much more irritating, and without a word he left the living room.

"I was only joking, Aibou. You really think I'm gonna be okay with you walking around with your ass out?" The older male tossed the belt in the direction of his dog before following his boyfriend into the bedroom.

Yuugi didn't respond, he merely took a seat on the bed and began listening to music on his phone, making sure to turn it up loud enough so that he wouldn't be able to hear anything else.

"Is this what you do when you're upset? Ignore people with loud music, and not even good music at that? Lil Yatchy is dumpster fire."

Of course, Yuugi didn't hear a word that Yami just said to him.

"So, you're just gonna ignore me, even though you said you'd help me build my deck for the quarter-finals? What are you even mad at me for, I didn't tear up your belt?"

" _Check a bitch, chess piece, checkmate, ooh, two cribs, six cars, only twenty-two…_ "

The duelist sucked his teeth and disappeared from the doorway for a while, only to reappear with two very large binders, each completely filled up with Duel Monsters cards. If Yuugi wasn't going to help him, then he was just going to build his deck by himself, as usual. He made his way over to the bed and took a seat next to his partner, who glanced over long enough to see what was going on before giving his phone all of his attention.

"I'll buy you another belt…" Yami mumbled as he began flipping through the pages of cards.

Luckily for the duelist, his statement came in between songs, which meant that Yuugi was able to hear him. "Nah, you good."

"What? You literally just caught a whole attitude because I joked about not buying you a new belt, and now I tell you that I will and you don't want it?"

"Because," Yuugi began with a huff, as this conversation meant that he had to pause his music, "It's the principle. You're not saying that you'll get me another belt because I asked for it, you're saying it because I'm mad at you and you want me to stop being mad at you so I can help you. I'm not stupid."

"I never implied that you were. But I really want you to help me, I've been looking forward to it since you offered."

"That makes me no difference." He pressed the home button on his phone, and touched play on his music app.

With a deflated sigh, Yami shook his head and went back to looking for cards.

Much to Yuugi's dismay, his phone began to ring during the intro to one of his favorite songs, stopping his music against his will. He scowled and had half a mind to decline the call, but because it was Malik calling him he couldn't take that risk. If he didn't answer his phone and the blonde knew that he was with Yami then in Malik's mind they were automatically fucking. "What the fuck do you want?"

As Yuugi expected, Malik looked at him like he was crazy. "Okay, we're gonna try this again, because I don't know who the fuck you think you're talking to, but it's _not_ me."

The call ended, but almost immediately Malik was calling him back. "It was that deep that you really had to hang up and call me back?"

"What is wrong with you? How hard is it to say hello?" the tanned male asked on the other end of the FaceTime call, the scenery around him indicating that he was outside.

"You interrupted my music, and I'm mad right now."

"You know how many times you interrupt my music with some bullshit? Hell, do you know how many times you interrupt me in general with some bullshit?"

"Never."

"That's a goddamn lie." The camera angle of the phone shifted and Malik's upper body came into view, along with a chair. The male shifted and there was a shuffling sound before a cigarette came into view.

Yuugi made a disgusted face, almost as though he wanted to vomit. "Are you ever gonna quit those?"

Malik shrugged and lit his port, taking a casual drag. "Eventually."

"Before it's too late? I don't wanna add chemotherapy to my list of future expenses."

He scowled. "No, you're not. You're just saying that so that I stop talking about it."

The blonde rose a brow. "Why are you like this? Don't project whatever you're mad at onto me." There was more shifting, and Malik's attention was now on something in his lap. "Fuck is wrong with you anyway?"

"His dog chewed up the only belt that I brought –"

"Then that's your dumbass fault for only bringing one belt. Who does that shit?"

Yuugi's jaw clenched. "You're gonna have to see me for that one."

Malik sighed and tilted his head back. "Bro, I'm not about to fight you because you're acting like a bitch on her period."

"You're gonna have to see me for that one too. I should pull up and hit your ass for just saying that shit."

"Bro, you really need to calm down. You know how violent you get when you're mad. Did he at least apologize? What's he doing?"

Yuugi sighed and shifted so that Yami was on camera as well. The duelist glanced up at his camera long enough to see who his partner was talking to before turning his attention back to the cards he was laying out on his lap.

"I was supposed to help him…"

"Help that man build his deck you _monster_."

"What are you talking about?"

"Look at him. That man is _hurt_. You really want him out there dueling like that? If he loses it'll be your fault."

Yuugi sighed and took a glance back at his boyfriend, and through his anger (which all of a sudden seemed a lot less justified) he could see just how demoralized Yami was. Back to Malik. "Fine. I guess you're right, it's not that deep."

"You help him build his deck. I'm gonna do what I usually do in the mornings."

"Hide from Marik, smoke a blunt, and browse social media?"

"Damn right. Are we meeting you at BC Place or will we not see you until after the days duels?"

"Probably the latter." Another glance was cast in Yami's direction. "I've got a feeling this might take a while. It'll talk to you guys later. Smoke one for me." And then he hung up. His music began playing again, tempting him to just refuel his anger and ignore the man in favor of getting lost in the rhythm of the beats, but he decided against it. "Alright. I said I'd help you, so here I am."

But Yami shook his head. "Nah, that's okay. Keep ignoring me with your trash artists."

Yuugi sighed and took his headphones out of his ears, placing them into Yami's and starting the song over. "I'll do this. You, on the other hand, are going on a trip." And then he took the binder out of his lap, along with the cards he had taken out.

 _Meanwhile_

After Yuugi hung up, Malik continued to silently roll, smoking his cigarette as he did so, until he was forced to put it out because it had gotten too small for him to hold while multi-tasking. "Some music would be nice right now." And then he carefully set his half-finished blunt down on his lap before patting his pockets. "Damn, don't tell me I left them in the room…" He continued to pat himself down, disappointed that he couldn't feel anything in his basketball shorts. "Ugh. Damnmit. That was the one thing that's missing."

"What's missing?" Ryou asked as he stepped out on the balcony in a pair of basketball shorts, holding a Black and Mild one hand and closing the door with the other.

"Please tell me you brought your speaker."

"I never come out to smoke without it." The thin male took a seat in the chair next to him. "Why?"

Malik picked his blunt up and resumed his task. "I was gonna ask if I could play some music, but since you already listen to music when you come outside and we have similar tastes just throw on some tunes." And then he glanced over at his friend, noticing how his shorts came to his thighs, exposing his red briefs. "Do you own any pants that fit you?"

"I wear belts with all my jeans, but things that don't have loops or a drawstring don't stay up." Ryou then stood and pulled his shorts up until the waistline met his navel. "Watch this." He let go, and the shorts fell where the waistline rest on the middle of his backside. "I have a thin waist, I literally can't help it. After pulling my pants up for the thirtieth time in a day I just say fuck it."

"I understand. I used to be the same way. Shit was annoying." Malik approved, finishing his blunt and then flicking his lighter down its length to dry it off. "But come on, lets get some music on. It'll complete the aesthetic."

Ryou rose a brow and fished his speaker out of his pocket, along with his phone. "What's the aesthetic?"

"Bro, it's Vancouver, it's a beautiful morning and we're about to get a nice high before we watch these duels. Some music will be icing on the cake."

He powered the speaker on and then connected his phone before opening his playlist and turning the volume up – not too loud, but loud enough for them to feel every part of every song. He then did a quick scroll before deciding to shuffle, raising his eyebrows at the song his phone picked.

"Off the Wall?"

"Malik, you don't understand the bars that X and Ski Mask had on here. Especially Ski Mask. Like When he said…" And Ryou paused, timing himself up with the first verse, " _…When I d-d-d-d-d-dick that bitch and she see Jesus on some rapture shit, throw my balls at her, Pokémon, like catch some shit,'_ I was like 'Holy shit, that's disgusting'. But I like how he said it. Like, I don't mind something vulgar if it's clever in some way shape or form."

"So, you actually like Ski Mask? I already knew you were an X fan, but I thought Ski was too nasty for you."

"I date Bakura. Ski Mask is PG compared to him, trust me. But moving on, how exactly are _we_ getting high? I don't have anything to match with."

"Match with that black bro. When I pass you the blunt you slide me the black and we gonna be _stuck_ stuck." Malik smirked, lighting his cigar. "We got a deal?"

"Hell yeah we do. I will gladly share this black with you. We can die together," Ryou joked as he lit his actual cigar. "So, what's Twitter saying about today's duels?"

"Rex is the underdog going in today. Bleacher Report even predicted that he'd get swept."

" _No_." Ryou gave a chuckle of disbelief. "You're kidding."

"Like I was trying to tell you yesterday, you really should've been paying attention to the duels instead of Bakura –"

"I was getting my dick rubbed. My mind was not on anything but that. I saw maybe two or three, but after that…" He smirked, although he was blushing.

" _Wow. Wow. Oh, my goodness_. You're bold as shit. It's a live event, there are cameras and a Jumbo Tron…you're wylin'. You're actually wylin'. We're most definitely gonna talk about this later; but since you missed damn near everything, Ima just go ahead and tell you. Rex is going up against Shannon Holmes, a duelist from LA who won his way into competing in a Kaiba Corp Tournament for the first time, along with his friend Stefan Abraham. They weren't expected to make it past the first round but man, can these dudes duel." Malik exhaled quickly and shook his head. "They're like a dueling Yin and Yang. Stefan is calm and humble. He doesn't panic, and you can never tell what's going through his head. Plus, he has some powerful cards. But Bleacher Report predicted him to get swept by Yami."

"What about Shannon?"

"He's the exact opposite. He considers himself to be a duelist and a comedian, or at least, that's what his bio says. When he duels he likes to mock his opponents and get inside their heads. He even gets the crowd involved. But he's not a bad duelist either, and apparently…" The blonde paused, looking for the rest of the tweet thread. "Ah, here we go. He's known for being able to set up both complex and effective strategies. Rex isn't trash, but…I have to go with bleacher report on this one. Look, even his tweets are mocking and cynical."

 _KingHolmes: Bro, all due respect to Pharaoh and his ultra-instinct dueling, but if he beat me in less than ten moves, he's gonna have to see me after the tournament. I'll be damned if I get embarrassed on live tv like that lmao #KCTournament_

 _Pharaoh: KingHolmes I've got cards and I've got hands. You have to get to the finals first._

 _KingHolmes: Bro, today's last duel is a textbook example of why you should take things one duel at a time. My man Stef_No_Curry did his thing today against Alister._

 _KingHolmes: Haga really put grease on his cards like I wouldn't feel the shit when I cut his deck today, then gonna get mad when I call him out on it AFTER I've won._

 _KingHolmes: Cheaters never win, and winners never cheat bro. The integrity of the game is everything."_

 _WeevilUnderwood_: KingHolmes I'll be glad when you get knocked out of the finals today._

 _KingHolmes: WeevilUnderwood trigger fingers turn to twitter fingers, but Shannon runs hands with you pussy n*****. I'm posted everywhere bro. Come say that bullshit to my face._

Then Malik stumbled across an article.

 _FACTS AND FIGURES: KC VANCOUVER TOURNAMENT_

 _Yami Sennen_

 _Needs to win two more duels in order to break Maximillian Pegasus' record for most consecutive duels won (495)_

 _Has not lost a duel since 10/17/2011_

 _Has won all duels in less than ten turns since 08/06/2013_

 **Has won all duels in less than five turns since 07/04/2015**

 _Holds record for total traps cards used (364)_

 _Holds the record for total spell cards used (237)_

 _Holds the record for most total damage done (386900)_

 _Changes his deck for every duel_

 _Holds all three rare Egyptian God Cards_

 _Rex Raptor_

 _Holds "Red Eyes B. Dragon" (ATK 2400 DEF 2000)_

 _Utilizes a Dinosaur themed deck_

 _Is tied with Yami Sennen for the Record of most consecutive finalist qualifications_

 _Has yet to place higher than runner up in any tournament he's participated in._

 _Stefan Abraham_

 _Holds "The Dark Creator" (ATK 2300 DEF 3000)_

 _Holds "Life Shaver" Trap Card_

 _Holds "Raigeki Break" Trap Card_

 _Is Dueling In his first international tournament_

 _Shannon Holmes_

 _Holds "Magician of Black Chaos" (ATK 2800 DEF 2600)_

 _Holds "Jinzo" (ATK 2400 DEF 1500)_

 _Holds "Crush Card Virus" Trap Card_

 _Holds "Deck Devastation Virus" Trap Card_

 _Is Dueling in his first international tournament_

 _ALL DUELS ARE A SERIES OF 3_

 _First duelist with two victories is declared the winner and will move on to the finals_

 _Each Duelist starts at 4000 LP_

 _Cheating will result in disqualification_

 _Excessive use of profanity will result in disqualification_

"Bro, I swear to god if you let him distract you…"

"He's not. I'm actually going to be into the duels. They seem like they'll be entertaining."

"Especially Shannon's. This man could actually make it as a comedian if he doesn't win it all, which I don't see him beating Yami."

"Of course not. Yami's in a relationship with _Yuugi_. He's used to all the taunting in the world."

Malik laughed. By this point, they had passed their items back and forth several times, and Malik decided that he'd had enough for the time being, so when his friend offered him his black, he declined. "Nah. I'm not trying to go back to sleep." He offered his blunt, which was more of a clip now.

"Can't do it," The thin man responded, putting his cigar out on the arm of his chair. "Any more and I'll be asleep halfway through the first duel."

"Who's even duelin' today?"

The two men looked back over their shoulders, seeing that the sudden voice behind them belonged to their friend, and Malik sighed. "You were in the front row; how do you not know what happened yesterday?" And then he shook his head. "Let me guess, you we're too into your phone worrying about what you were going to do with your Tall Glass of Water last night."

"I was, but Kaiba is more like two or three tall glasses of water." Joey rubbed the back of his head and chuckled. "Did I miss the sesh?" His answer was the two men handing him the blunt and the cigar. "Damn, guess I didn't"

"To answer your first question, Rex is Dueling that Shannon kid from yesterday. I seriously don't understand how the two of you missed this guy."

"Shannon…Shannon…ain't he dat kid dat can't be older than eighteen and is really loud? I remember a lot of people laughin' at certain points yesterday. Was dat because of him?" Joey put the two smokables to his lips and lit both before giving a hard pull.

Malik rose to his feet and stretched before sighing. "My brain though I was ready to stand, but my legs just asked me what the fuck I'm doing." And then he sat back down, resting his head against the back of his chair. "What time is it?"

"Quarter til ten. Why, where ya gotta be?"

"Marik gets mad when he wakes up alone, and I'm really not trying to hear that bullshit right now. I'm too high, and it's too early."

"More like he just doesn't want to hear Marik whine about how cold it is," Ryou offered with a smirk, as his friend shook his head.

"I don't get it. It didn't even get uncomfortably cold until late last night, and even then, a jacket would've solved the problem. I don't get why I had to stop doing what I was doing just to be trapped in an embrace when all he literally had to do was put some clothes on." He then placed his hands atop his head. "Like, _dude_ you're cold because you don't have a shirt on, or socks on."

Having slipped outside in the middle of his partner's explanation, Marik reached down, plucked the blunt out of Joeys mouth, hit it, and looked over to Malik. "Why do that when I can just ask you to bring your warm ass in the room?"

"Because I be doing shit."

"Okay, I be cold."

"What's that have to do with me?"

"We're a couple. I have cuddle rights."

Their two friends burst into laughter and Malik rose a brow. "Seriously? So, if I'm dying, I have to stop dying because you want to cuddle?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

" _Wow_. I need my headphones." Malik stood again, ignoring how his legs felt like a toddler's, and walked past his boyfriend in, aiming to go inside; but Marik hooked an arm around his waist, pulling the younger man back into him.

"Where are you going? Why do you want to leave now that I'm up and out here?" His grip on Malik was amazing, firmly holding the blonde in place despite his thrashing and using his free hand to hold what was now officially a clip instead of a blunt. With all the pushing he was doing against him, Malik hadn't gone anywhere.

"I'm coming back, move." Malik responded, giving up on trying to power out of the embrace and opting to try and move Marik's arm. "I just want my headphones."

"Why? It's music out here. Why are you trying to ignore me so early in the morning?" And then he lifted the younger man off of his feet, carrying him back to his chair and taking a seat, pulling him into his lap. "I haven't even done anything."

"You're annoying." The younger man muttered, crossing his arms.

"How? I just got out here."

"The thirty seconds you were out here you were getting in my nerves."

"I'm starting to think that my mere presence annoys you."

Malik didn't answer.

"Damn."

"I'm really not fucking with you right now, and you're forcing me to fuck with you, and I don't like it."

With a sigh, Marik gave up on trying to talk to Malik. Often times, like this one, he would make Malik mad on purpose because it entertained him. "You fall for it every time. I really bait you into getting mad at me and you still haven't learned." A smile broke out onto his face as he began laughing. "And the shit has me weak every time. You're such a hot head, like what are you even mad for?"

"Bro, just let me get up so I can get my headphones."

When Malik started calling him "bro" he knew he was really mad; and it was extremely amusing that he had him this tight and he hadn't done anything. "You want your headphones that bad?"

" _Yes_."

"Alright, fine. Go get them." And then he released his waist, but the second Malik got up Marik grabbed his shorts and pulled him back down into his lap. "You thought I was letting you get up." He chuckled. "Baited your ass again, Malik."

"Bro, you're pissing me off and I'm really about to hit the shit out you –"

"How are you gonna hit me and I'm behind you?"

Malik didn't answer, he merely shifted, freed one of his hands from Marik's grip, and swung hard.

Their two friends watched with wide eyes as the punch connected with the side of Marik's face, and they we're certain anyone else would've been put to sleep after that blow. But Marik blinked it away like it was nothing. In fact, he almost matched him with a punch of his own, just because he hit him in the face; but he decided against it, as he did instigate the entire thing. "Hit me like that again and you actually have to see me." He said as he let go of him.

"I don't give a fuck. I'll knock you the fuck out if you keep playing with me," The younger man shot back, quickly getting up heading back into the hotel room.

"He'd better pistol-whip this man, because I don't think his bare hands are going to do anything," Ryou muttered to Joey as they watched Marik rub the side of his face.

"He's gonna need something. A tire iron, baseball bat, a shovel, a hammer…"

"Really? That could kill me, I hope you two know that."

"Marik, as hard as your head is, I don't think any type of blunt-force trauma could kill you."

 _XxXx_

Yuugi and Joey had their eyes glued to the Jumbo Tron, watching who Twitter had deemed the "Ultimate Underdog" dance his way down the hallway to Ski Mask The Slump God's "Catch Me Outside".

"I think Shannon's the first one to actually take the option of picking a song for an intro instead of just he himself being introduced." Yuugi tried to tell his friend over the blaring music, but Joey was too busy singing along to hear him.

" _You Kellogg's tiger I tell 'em earn yo stripes you tryna be me but bitch could never in your life even if you had on my sneakers like Bow Wow in Like Mike…_ "

Shaking his head, he turned his attention back to the large screen.

Shannon had exited the hallway and gotten to the dueling field, where he walked to the center and faced his opponent. "Sup bro," He offered casually as the two officials fitted them with their dueling disks.

"I'm not your bro," was Rex's response.

"Damn, mybad." And then he turned to the official, raising a brow. "We get mic'd up for the semi-finals?"

"You do," The woman responded with a smile as she clipped a small microphone to Shannon's polo. "These are extremely sensitive and you're on live television, so please watch what you say."

Shannon pulled his deck out of his back pocket and shuffled it. "Cool, cool. No need to worry, I'm capable of keeping it clean. But, can I ask a question before we cut cards and get started?"

"Of course you can. What's your question?"

"Y'all gonna play my music again when I win, right?"

But instead of the woman answering, Rex spoke. "No one wants to hear that trash. Besides, you won't be winning." He then handed Shannon his deck. "Hurry up."

"Oh, so you eager to take these consecutive Ls. Bet, let's cut and get to throwing these cards." He responded, handing Rex his deck. After the exchange, he offered the other man a fist bump. "Be a good sport bro, shake hands before the match."

But Rex only took his deck back and stalked over to his side of the field.

" _Wow_. He's actually childish, and I'm the youngest one here." Shannon shook his head and walked back over to his side of the field. "Alright bro. Since you're so ready to lose, you go first. Let's see this opening setup."

Drawing his cards, Rex took a second to study his hand before setting one card face down. Out of all the cards in his deck that he could draw, he managed to pick up three Spell and three Trap cards. _Not a single fucking monster._ He thought angrily, debating on whether he wanted to set "Jurassic World" as well, but something told him not to. "I set one card face down and end my turn. Go."

" _You ain't got no monsters_." Shannon teased in a sing-song voice as he drew his card. Tugging on his goatee, he studied his hand. That trap card was more than likely a good one, maybe something that could destroy a monster when he summoned it, or when he attacked. He couldn't allow for it to be on the field. "Ima go ahead and get rid of ya trap card before I do anything else," He declared, pulling a card out of the middle of his hand and placing it onto his duel disk. "Harpies Feather Duster, do my spring cleaning for me."

"Wait, isn't that a forbidden card?" Rex tried to interrupt, just as the hologram of a giant feather materialized and appeared to sweep his facedown card away.

"Nope. The forbidden card list only has pieces of Exodia on it. Which is good, because if someone summons that monster on me they definitely have to fight me. I'm hittin' em with a five piece combo: a hit for every piece of Exodia."

Collective giggles were heard among the crowd, and Shannon smirked. He wasn't expecting it this early, but having the crowd on his side definitely swung momentum his way. "Harpies' Feather Duster is a limited card, and I just played my only one. But, my turn ain't done just yet. Since you're over there chilling completely exposed, I'm gonna bring my mans Beserk Gorilla to the field." He placed another card onto his duel dusk, and a colossal Gorilla appeared onto the field of play, beating its chest before resting its hands on the ground. "Since this guy's special effect is destroying himself when he's in defense mode, he's just gonna post up over here in attack position." Shannon then chuckled. "Now, run them Life Points, bro. Beserk Gorilla, attack him directly!"

Rex knew that it was a hologram, but he couldn't help instinctively crossing his arms over his face as Shannon's monster shot an enormous fireball directly at him. When the dust and smoke cleared, he opened his eyes and put his arms down to see…

His opponent…picking out his hair?

"Are you kidding me?"

Shannon froze, the comb in the middle of pulling a section in the top of his head. "What?"

"You're really combing your hair right now?"

"I'm sorry that me picking my hair out after I just jacked you for half your Life Points offends you. Too bad they don't make Band-Aids for feelings."

Rex huffed as his hands curled into fists at his sides. "Cut all that extracurricular mess out."

"What are you crying about now bro? You a whole grown ass man out here whining because a teenager is picking on you." Shannon began laughing. "Bro, this is how I duel. I talk my trash as I play and it works in my favor. I been dueling like this my whole life and I'm not about to switch up my perfectly legal playstyle because you butthurt. Grow a pair bro."

"It's not that hard to announce your moves without being extra. Shut up and duel!"

"Ay bro, I don't know who you think you yelling at, but you got the wrong one. I'll tell you that right now. My mama don't even talk to me like that. As a matter of fact, I bet you won't come over here and repeat yourself." Shannon quipped, and then stuck his chest out, holding his hands behind his back.

Gasps could be heard from the crowd as Rex took the microphone off of his shirt and crossed the field, not breaking stride until his face was centimeters away from his opponents. "Cut all that extra shit out. Don't make me repeat myself."

A threat? Now he was _really_ trying him. Shannon tore the mic off his shirt. "Fuck you gonna do bro? Fuck you gonna do?" And then he rose his voice. " _I will fuck you up!_ "

The shout carried well throughout the stadium, as the crowd fell silent, awaiting the duelists next moves.

" _Back ya bitch ass up before I have to put these hands on you_!" Shannon continued, looking up at the slightly taller man, not at all afraid to swing if it came down to it. Luckily, it didn't, as the two officials from earlier quickly got in between the two.

"This duel is officially better than any show I've ever watched in my life," Yuugi said quietly as he took a swig of his soda.

"Hell yeah. Shannon's in Rex's head like a fuckin' prion. He's got him right where he wants him." Joey agreed, looking at the field and watching the two officials struggle to keep Rex at bay. "And it happened fast."

"Yeah, but Rex is like Malik. They get mad fast."

The blonde rose a brow. "Ya not gonna include yaself in that group?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm even tempered," Yuugi snapped, glaring at his friend.

"See, look at ya. Ya mad right now."

"Shut the…" He began but sighed and shook his head. "Shut up and watch the duel."

Back on the field, the two had finally been separated and the duel resumed with Shannon setting his most recently drawn card. "I set one card face down and end my turn. Go, Punk."

Rex shook his head. He couldn't believe how he let Shannon get to him like that, and he knew just how bad his temper was. With an irritated sigh, he drew, smirking as it was the much-needed monster card that he needed. His "Survival Instinct" was destroyed, meaning that he couldn't salvage any life points, but he could get a start at chipping away at his opponents. "From my hand," He began, placing a card into his Field Spell zone, "I activate a spell. Tel me Shannon, you consider yourself to be many things, but do you consider yourself to be a Time Traveler?"

"No. Ima just tell you right now bro, this is a poorly set up joke."

"Really now?" He asked confidently as the landscape around them warped into a prehistoric scene, with mountains in the distance to go with the early ancestors of modern plant life. "I'm pretty sure it'll be funny to me when I get rid of your only monster and take away your life points."

"Bro, ain't nothing on your side of the field but some holographic moss."

"That's true, but I have a quick fix for that. I summon my "Sabersarus" in attack mode!" Rex confidently called out, placing another card onto his duel disk and watching the card come to life. The original ATK of the monster was 1900, just shy of being able to destroy Shannon's monster, but the Field Spell raised it an extra three hundred points. "Your mouth is open like you wanted to say something. Is there a problem?"

"I was just about to say ya mans over there wasn't strong enough, but he got it."

"I know, and he's about to get even stronger, once I apply this to him." Rex then played his "Raise Body Heat" Spell card, giving the monster another three hundred ATK.

Shannon exhaled quickly. "That's a big boy."

"And he's about to destroy your monster. Sabersarus, attack! Get his gorilla off the field."

The monster did as it was commanded to, but the second it got to Shannon's side of the field there was a bright flash of light and it burst into thousands of holographic fragments.

"No! What did you do _this_ time?"

"I just baited you into falling into the oldest trick in the book." Shannon answered and then burst into a fit of uncontrollable laughter. "Bro really fell for it hook, line, and sinker. I'm weak." He doubled over, now laughing so hard that he couldn't stand straight up. "Oh, Jesus take the wheel. I can't breathe." There was a pause, where the duelist wasn't laughing or panting, and then he popped straight up and shrugged it off. "I'm good. Anyway, can I get a round of applause for that Oscar worthy performance? I mean, I really just tricked this man into thinking he was gonna destroy my monster." He asked, surveying the crowd with his arms open, and his ego inflated when he got the standing ovation he asked for. "Thank you, thank you. Now, back to this dummy here." He focused back on Rex. "Mirror Force, my guy. It's the most beginner trick out there, and you fell for it. Now you don't have anything to protect you from my mans over here and you can't hide in ya fake forest."

Looking down at his hand, Rex shook his head. "Hunting Instinct" wouldn't do him any good with no monsters in his hand, and "Tail Swipe" required for a monster to be on the field. "I end my turn."

"I really expected more of you, bro." Shannon sneered, drawing his card. "So, I'm gonna do you a favor and end this duel for you. Maybe the next one will be better. I was expecting more of a challenge. Make me earn the dub, don't hand it to me like this bro." He turned his attention to his monster. "Beserk Gorilla, go finish him off."

This time, when the fireball came at him, Rex didn't even flinch.

"You're going to have your hands full with him," Seto noted from his cousin's press booth.

"I doubt it. He's good, and he's very bold, especially with his cards, but he's too cocky for his own good. I can easily use that against him by baiting him into mistakes," Yami countered. "Although, I'll admit he has an advantage because this is his first tournament. He and his friend Stefan don't have their decks registered with your company yet."

"So how did you study them?"

"I still paid attention to every duel, so it's not like I'm going in blind." He took a deep breath. "But I do expect Shannon to be my toughest opponent.

Seto turned to the older man in disbelief. "Are you serious? Did you forget that we used to duel in almost every finals of every tournament?"

"Then you quit because you realized you couldn't beat me? How could I forget?" Yami smirked. "But I think Shannon could give you a run for your money. No one would just run away with the duel, but I think he could edge you out."

"Now you're just insulting me. His skills are nowhere near comparable to mine, nor does he have enough cards to rival my own."

"He doesn't, but he does have the ability to get in your head."

"And what makes sure so sure that he can?"

"Because I just did it." He chuckled. "It's not hard."

"I'd bet anything that he wouldn't even be a challenging opponent."

"Put your i8 on it."

Seto exhaled quickly at the thought of losing his luxury coupe. "I didn't say all that."

"So you're saying that you'll lose?"

"I _definitely_ didn't say that either."

"Then what are you afraid of? I'll put my Maserati on the duel, that way it's fair."

Seto glanced down at the dueling field, watching as the two prepared for the second duel. "I'll take that bet. I wouldn't mind another car."

Shannon drew his five cards, along with the one that would start off his turn, and stroked his goatee, occasionally tugging at "Rex, I'm gonna show you what a big boy move looks like." And then he placed his own Field Spell card onto his duel disk. The background around them changed, as the ground began to resemble clouds and a large cathedral erected itself in the background. "Now that we've arrived at the "Sanctuary in the Sky", I'll let you know that as long as a Fairy Type Monster is on my side of the field, even if your monster is stronger than mine, I'm safe."

"You have to get a monster on your side of the field, first."

"Oh, what you think I'm doing?" Shannon asked with a smirk as he placed a card into his Monster Zone, watching as a golden four-headed dragon came to life. "I summon 'Victoria' in attack mode!" Then he placed another card down. "And for good measure, I'll activate my 'Solemn Wishes' Trap Card, which is gonna give me five hundred extra Life Points every time you draw cards."

"Are you done yet?" Rex asked, feigning boredom even though he couldn't deny Shannon's first move being a good one.

"I guess I can end my turn, since you're acting like your life depends on your first move."

He drew his card and added it to his hand, pausing in thought for a few seconds before setting three cards face down, one face down in his Monster Zone and the other two face down in his Spell/Trap zone. "I set three cards face down and end my turn."

"Alright," Shannon picked up without missing a beat. "First, I wanna thank you for the extra LP. That 4500 is really doing it for me." He then drew his card. "So, here's what's about to happen. Whatever monster you're hiding over there is gonna get exposed, because I play 'Light of Intervention'."

Rex's face down card on the field was then flipped over, summoning his Cobra Jar in defense mode, but instead of feeling upset, he began to laugh.

"I don't recall saying something funny."

"I'm laughing because I wanted you to Flip Summon my monster, you clown. Cobra Jar's flip effect is summoning a 'Poisonous Snake Token' which will cost you 500 Life Points if you destroy it."

"I mean, that's cool and all, but it's not like the points aren't coming right back to me. Anyway, back to Big Boy Dueling. I'm gonna set one card face down, and then I'm gonna bring out my girl Dark Witch. In attack mode." He placed both of the cards onto his duel disk, watching as one of them animated into his monster. "And I'm gonna get rid of your two silly worms. Losing the points makes me no difference cause in about thirty seconds they'll be coming back."

His two monsters then attacked and destroyed both of Rex's cards, sending them to the graveyard and ridding him of 600 LP. "And it's your move."

Being back at square one, Rex shook his head and drew a card, watching a red aura engulf Shannon as is Life Points went back up to 4500. From his hand, he played the only other monster that he had, 'Miracle Jurassic Egg' in defense position. Its 2000 DEF was higher than Shannon's "Victoria" and "Dark Witch" which would prevent him from attacking and giving Rex another chance to draw a more helpful card. "I end my turn."

"Stalling in hopes of trying to draw a stronger monster?" The duelist asked, drawing his card. "I hate to break it to you, but all of your strong monsters are about to leave you."

"And why is that?"

"Since you asked so nicely, I'll tell you. First thing I'm gonna do is summon 'Gemini Imps', but he's not gonna be on the field for long. My mans will be taking one for the team," Shannon explained, placing the same card that he just drew onto the field of play. "He's gonna get scarified so that I can activate my 'Crush Card Virus'."

Rex's eyes widened.

"I take it that facial expression means that you know what this card does. So just gone on ahead and send all your powerful cards to the graveyard. If the ATK is more than 1500, it's gotta go."

The duelist sighed as he checked his deck, sending every single one of his powerful monsters to the graveyard. Even though his Egg was still in the field and the Trap's effect didn't allow for him to take damage this turn, he knew that it would take a miracle for him to come back.

"All done over there? Said all ya goodbyes? I can go ahead and end this duel?"

"Just hurry up and finish your turn."

"I'll take that as a yes. So now, I'm gonna activate Victoria's special effect. It lets me take any dragon type monster in your graveyard and summon it to my side of the field." Shannon then smirked and walked out into the middle of the field. "Hand me your Red Eyes."

That strategy was flawless, Rex had to admit. Walking out to the middle of the field, he had half a mind to just toss the card in Shannon's direction and get the duel over with but opted to place the card in the man's hand before walking back.

"Lucky for you, I can't end things on this turn. But my next one, you're done for. Better hope that you get lucky on your next draw."

Rex looked at the three hulking monsters on his opponent's side of the field and drew his card. The only card that could get him out of this mess was more than likely still somewhere in his deck. "I end my turn." He said quietly,

"Look at you. Ya went from threating me to being demoralized. What happened?" Shannon asked as he drew. "Alright, so, I'm gonna summon someone, and you've seen this guy before." He placed a card into the last spot on his disk. "Before I end this, I will give you your props. This duel was much better than the last one; but I'm still walking outta here with that dub."

As the final attacks ensued, Shannon scanned the crowd until he found the press box that held Yami and Kaiba., and then he pointed at the reigning champion. "Hey!" He called out, effectively grabbing his attention, along with the entire audience. "Yeah you. Look at me."

Yami appeared on the Jumbo Tron, his gaze focused on the duelist.

Shannon then pointed at himself. "I'm Pharaoh now." He declared before opening his arms as his entrance song played over the speaker, and he began singing along. " _Shot out my mucus, cause you know that be my slime_."

 _ **A/N: I have no idea when the next chapter will be, but that one will have the last two duels of the tournament. I hope you guys enjoyed. Peace.**_


End file.
